


A Mother's Love

by ShingetsuMoon



Series: Sky Kings [1]
Category: Monster Hunter (Video Games)
Genre: Depression, Friendship, Monster Hunters, PTSD, baby rathalos, friends to ???, mental health, raising baby monsters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-07-11 19:42:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 24
Words: 149,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7067431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShingetsuMoon/pseuds/ShingetsuMoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alistair has been avoiding her past and the emotional trauma from it for years. When she ends up with two rathalos hatchlings it becomes clear that she's in over her head. But raising two monsters isn't easy especially when Alistair has to deal with her own mental health and anther young hunter in need of guidance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Follow Your Gut

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cross posting this series to AO3. The first part is up on fan fiction.net but I'll be posting the chapters here as well. This first part has about 24 chapters and the second I'm working on now. This was started a few years ago (because I can be a terribly slow writer at times) so I won't be posting many notes after this one. Still thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

 

_Now make sure you grab the eggs from that nest marked on the map. Only that one! There's another pair in the area so make sure you don't get them mixed up or you're not going to get paid._

Alistair narrowed her eyes slightly as she remembered how firmly their client had been and how he'd emphasized that they grab eggs from _this_ particular nest. Then he said he had men who had been watching the nest carefully. She had been a hunter long enough to see clearly that he was hiding something, but she was getting paid to deliver these eggs not to psychoanalyze the man who wanted them. As long as he wasn't breaking any Guild rules then it wasn't up to her. Besides she had already accepted the quest so there wasn't much point in going back now.

Shaking her head, Alistair looked down and examined the map in her hands to make sure they were heading in the right direction. Brushing her black bangs out of the way she looked up to check the sun's position. They were on a quest to grab three fresh eggs from a local rathian and rathalos nest and transport them back to Loc Lac City where they would then be handed off to some rich businessman who wanted to have them served at his daughter's wedding reception or so he claimed. Alistair highly doubted he was telling the truth.

More importantly though were the wyvern parents. If the mother and father didn't see them climbing up to the nest then it should be simple enough to grab the eggs and get them back to the base camp. If they were spotted then it would be a nightmarish run back to base camp while evading sharp fangs, large talons, and blazing fireballs.

Alistair had her armor prepared and her switch axe newly upgraded. She had been doing this for a few years after all. This should be fairly easy if all went more or less according to plan.

Her partner however was new. Very new. She had managed to outfitted herself in great jaggi armor and a pretty nice looking sword and shield so she clearly had skill. The equipment was actually pretty good for a rookie hunter. It was her lack of knowledge that was the problem. On a lower level quest Alistair wouldn't have minded giving the younger hunter some guidance. Unfortunately this was an egg hunt quest and two angry wyvern parents were nothing to take lightly no matter how strong a hunter you were. Now the pressure of keeping her companion in one piece was starting to fray her nerves.

_I couldn't reconsider though. Once I found out the other two hunters previously assigned to this quest had abandoned it I couldn't just let her go out alone and get killed,_ Alistair silently cursed. This quest in fact was one she had picked up after someone else dropped it. Normally she might have avoided a clearly shady client but leaving a rookie hunter to possibly get attacked by a rathian and rathalos just wasn't the hunter way. Helping to teach less experienced hunters had used to be a hobby of her's. In a profession this dangerous you never knew who might be watching your back in the future and she wanted to make sure everybody that hunted with her knew exactly what they were doing. Most other hunters didn't want to be bothered spending the extra time training some rookie when it could be spent making money or gathering materials they needed for new weapons or armor. 

"Do you even know how to make a potion, Amai?" Alistair asked suddenly.

The white-haired teenager looked up from polishing her sword and thought for a moment. "Umm... herb and... antidote...?" she asked hesitantly. Alistair groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. She was only in her mid twenties but being around this 17-year-old teenager was already making her feel ancient. Her optimism, enthusiasm and energy just had no limits.

"Seriously Amai? How is it that you've taken on a great jaggi and a barroth but you can't make a potion?" she questioned honestly mystified. Making potions was one of the very first things you learned as a hunter.

Amai grinned at her response. "I just buy them in town before going out for a hunt and if I run out I just chew some herbs. Besides the quest boxes are usually stuffed with items anyway so I can always go back and grab some if I really need them," she said flippantly. Taking a deep breath Alistair folded her map carefully and considered how she wanted to word this. Going off on how Amai was going to end up impaled on the sharp end some monster's claw one day probably wasn't the most effective method of conveying her point.

Instead she said, "That may work for now, but when you start taking on creature's like barroth or gobul you aren't going to have that opportunity. What if you forget? Or there aren't any herbs readily available in the area you've been assigned? Not only do you need potions on hand, but you need herbs and blue mushrooms. Together those will make more potions. Besides potions are only good for minor injuries, cuts, gashes, or bruises. They speed up your bodies ability to recover but they aren't a cure all. You need to be fast on your feet and avoid taking serious damage whenever possible. If you get a serious injury while on a quest alone people may not know you're missing for days or weeks," Alistair sharpened her voice to make sure the girl got the point.

Amai nodded and Alistair could see that she was seriously taking that information into account. Satisfied she turned around and pointed towards the distant hills. "Over there between those two peaks is where the rathian's nest was spotted. Locals say that in that valley is a large waterfall that pours into the local lake. Behind the falls is cavern that will take us up closer to the nest. They'll have pulled out all trees and uprooted any boulders near the nest to provide a clear landing site as well as to enhance their range of sight," Alistair explained referring to the rathian and rathalos parents as she grabbed her helmet and slipped it on.

"At this time of day her rathalos mate will be patrolling the area from the sky. Rathian prefer to hunt from the ground so she's the one we need to pay more attention to," Alistair added as she carefully scanning the sky.

Getting there would only take about half an hour on foot if they hurried so they needed to get going. The sun was rising fast and rathian were unusual in that they hunted in the hottest part of the day. Most prey animals were sluggish and prone to sleeping then so they were easier to sneak up on.

"She might be resting right now, but by the time we get there the mother should have flown off to go hunting. If not then we'll wait until she leaves, understood?" Alistair asked as Amai stood up and grabbed two potions and a few paintballs to round out her equipment. Everything else would stay here at base camp.

"Yep! Get in, stay quiet, and get back out without being seen. The sooner we get in and get out the better," she responded affirmatively her eyes set seriously.

"Good now let's get going."

* * *

Amai was starting to fidget; not that Alistair could blame her. They had been crouching down in this stand of trees for the past 30 minutes. After finding the nest they also found a rathian sleeping there, unfortunately her stomach showed that she had eaten as recently as yesterday so it probably wouldn't be flying off anywhere as Alistair hoped. Wind direction was towards them and the waterfall was just a few hundred yards to their left. A stand of small bushes stopped a few hundred feet before the edge of the nest which was situated on a small rise off to the right and just behind the waterfall. That's where they were currently hiding.

_I can see the eggs from here right under her wings, but how do we get to them?_ Alistair frowned and mentally reviewed her inventory. She did have a dung bomb, but that would choke them out as well so it wasn't very useful. A trap was too risky and took far too much time to set up. Besides the wyvern would be on them the moment she freed herself.

Gritting her teeth she took a deep breath and cupped her hands to her mouth. The screech she let out made Amai yelp and even the rathian jerked up and rolled to its feet, hissing and spinning around in surprise before checking her eggs.

"What the...!" Amai looked over at her impromptu mentor in shock, but didn't get a chance to finish her sentence.

Alistair didn't let her finish and instead grabbed a large piece of wood next to her and flung it as far as possible. Thankfully it went over the edge of the nest and crashed down bringing some loose rocks tumbling down with it as it rolled off into the river.

Letting out a roar that made both of them cringe the rathian spread its wings and launched itself up into the air. It hovered in the air for a moment and immediately launched a short blast of fire at the spot where the log had crashed down. Alistair grabbed a large rock and sent hurtling down over the side of the nest. The protective mother was staring too intensely for danger to notice the rock go flying right over her tail. Yelping angrily a small jaggi popped its head up and nearly got it taken off when the rathian swooped down and snapped at it. Apparently there was more than just rocks lurking on the gentle slopes near this waterfall. Another jaggi darted from its hiding spot and started running away in the other direction.

With a load squawk the first jaggi took off at top speed away from the nest with the furious wyvern in hot pursuit. She wouldn't stop until it was at least a few miles away from the area. Summoned by his mate's call a massive rathalos swooped in by her side to help drive off the intruders. When both were out of sight Alistair looked over at Amai who was clearly struggling to catch up with what had just happened here.

"When all else fails, improvise," Alistair smirked and jumped to her feet. She headed straight towards the eggs and a second later the younger girl was right behind her breathing hard from the sudden shock she had received. Well besides the shock she had just received it was obvious from the moment they arrived that Amai had never seen a live rathian before. It had taken a harsh elbow to the ribs to get her to focus.

"Did you know that jaggi was there?" she asked with wide eyes. Alistair nodded, "Two things you always need to remember about jaggi is that they have a very hard time staying quiet and they almost always hunt in packs. It ran away the moment it recognized us as hunters, but when we didn't move for a while it decided we weren't a threat and went back to try and steal an egg away. I could hear it calling to its hunting partner, but you were closer to the waterfall and probably couldn't make it out. Rathian have sharp hearing, but she was sleeping. Actually hitting it on the head wasn't something I had planned on though," she explained as she crouched down next to the group of eggs.

All of them were just slightly smaller than her upper body and would be heavy to carry. Making quick calculations she grabbed the switch-axe off her back and put it on the ground. Strapped to her weapon were two large pieces of cloth that they would use to carry the eggs.

Talking quickly Alistair outlined their plan by saying, "Your armor and weapon are lighter so you'll carry two eggs." When the younger hunter frowned she added, "Unless _you_ want to be stuck trying to fight if the parents catch up to us..." she let her threat hang and Amai swallowed hard.

"No thanks I can carry two... I think..." she mumbled the last part as she carefully pushed one egg on to the blanket. Alistair put another one on the cloth and together they carefully folded it. When it was tied up they grabbed one more egg and put it on the other large square of cloth.

First they would get the two eggs away from here. Amai stood up and Alistair hefted the bundle up against her back and tied it over one shoulder, under the other and wrapped the other two hanging straps around her waist. Checking all of the knots carefully she finally nodded in approval as Amai checked the weight and shifted it slightly to make it easier to carry.

"There. You can run if necessary and you'll still be able to reach your weapon if you need it to fend off any creatures," Alistair explained grabbing the last egg. She slipped it over her shoulders in the same way and tied the two loose ends around her waist before grabbing her axe and quickly jogging back to the stand of trees. Amai could be seen tramping ahead just ahead of her and within a few short minutes they had reached the jagged moss-covered opening that led down under the waterfall and back to the lake side below.

Getting here had taken half an hour, but lugging these eggs on their backs meant the trip would take a whole lot longer.

* * *

Several times they had to stop when a rathalos swooped overhead above the trees. A couple missing eggs were definitely something it would notice so they needed to be careful. Alistair paused for a moment and turned around slightly, but only saw a small family of aptonoth and some jaggi that were fishing in the river. Flapping wings were still clearly audible, but they got across the shallow river without incident and back to the sheltered base camp in one piece.

Amai groaned loudly in relief. "Man I thought for sure we were going to get caught! Rathian have excellent eyesight I do know that much," she said as Alistair leaned over to untie the knots around her stomach. When they were undone she helped the girl take off the other strap and put the eggs down on the ground. After that Alistair unloaded her own and slipped a hand under her armor to rub her shoulders.

"Excellent eyesight and hearing but a poor sense of smell thankfully. Once you grab eggs from any beast you have to remember to keep moving. It doesn't matter how tired or worn out you are. If you've got eggs in your arms then keep moving even if it's just at a walk. Not only will the mother come after you for as long as possible, but some monsters actively will track you down and jaggi are notorious opportunists. A large enough pack won't hesitate to try and steal them," Alistair explained as she bent over and ran her hands over the egg in front of her to make sure there were no cracks or other damage. Amai nodded and took out her hunter's notes and wrote a few things down before putting it away.

"So how do you check to make sure they're fresh? I mean our client was _really_ specific on that point," she reminded her. Alistair thought about that for a moment as she tied the eggs back up.

Looking up at the sky Alistair frowned and said, "The best way is to use a torch to light it up from one side. Then you look at it from the other side to see if it's fertilized. Unfortunately it's not dark enough for that right now and we don't have any other means of doing it. Going by the quest information we've been provided is the best we can do although it's not always the most accurate. Keep that in mind. Details can get fuzzy when it comes to non-hunters since they tend to exaggerate or they don't follow through on complete monster surveying," she said. Taking the switch axe off her shoulders, Alistair collapsed next to the eggs.

"We estimated that we'd be done by sundown so there should be a felyne cart coming to the nearby outpost in a couple hours to take us and our cargo back to edge of the desert where we'll catch a sand ship back to Loc Lac. It will take a couple days of travel to get back to the city so we'll have to keep these eggs wrapped up tightly. Too much warmth will promote fertilization if they haven't developed already, but not enough will make them spoil," Alistair said as she pressed an ear to the side of the egg. It was too thick for her to hear much of anything, but the fact that there wasn't any shifting or chirpping was a good sign.

"We'll rest here for a few minutes to ease our muscles and eat some food rations, but then we have to get moving. It will take about three hours on foot to get back to the outpost carrying these eggs and if we miss the transport then that's another day we'll have to wait," Alistair said as she stood back up and went to the quest box. She had left their food in there for safe keeping while they went out hunting. Cooking raw meat would put out too much of a smell so they would make do with hunting rations as well as fruit and berries that would give them the energy they needed to get moving again.

"Take only as much as you need to get about half full. We can't travel as effectively on full stomachs," Alistair said as she took her portion and then handed the satchel over to Amai who accepted it with a grateful smile.

"Gotcha. Thanks for helping me out. There's no way I could have gotten all three of these eggs back here without having to fight that rathian at some point," Amai said with a slight bow.

Alistair brushed it off. "It's no problem. When I first started out as a rookie it was in a small fishing village. It's a thriving trade post now, but at the time I got there it was just a small fishing community and I didn't have the slightest idea of what I was doing. Everything I know now I learned entirely on my own. I might have avoided a brush with death several times if I'd had another hunter with me," she explained pausing for a moment to take another bite before saying, "Hunters will always repay a favor. That's just the way it is in this business so helping others out will almost always pay off for you in the end," she added and Amai's face fell slightly.

"And here I thought you were helping me out of goodness of your heart," she muttered under her breath.

Alistair just shrugged. "I may be nice, but I'm not a pushover. Remember that as you learn more about hunting. Hunters do help each other because we wouldn't survive otherwise. But don't assume that all of them will have good intentions. This isn't an easy profession for anyone much less for women. You need to be able to stand on your own two feet in the heat of battle if you expect to get anywhere," she said finishing her small meal. Amai hummed and chewed on a few berries as she thought about that.

"So what about your armor and switch axe? Those look like pretty nice ranking stuff," Amai asked and her eye drifted down to the large weapon resting in the short grass beside Alistair.

Alistair's jaw tightened visibly and she looked away before answering with, "They belonged to someone else. Someone close to me. I got their hunter inventory from the Guild after they died." Clearly it was a sore spot and Alistair stood up quickly and grabbed the two eggs before anymore questions could be asked.

"Break time is over. I'll carry most of the weight this time so we can make better time getting back to the outpost," Alistair said as Amai stuffed the last of the rations in her mouth and then hurried to her feet to come and help get the eggs settled on her back.

Once they were both outfitted and both hunters had picked up all of their gear they trudged off through the thick forest. Sunset was coming quickly.

* * *

They should have arrived early. Unfortunately a pack of jaggi had ambushed them and with expert teamwork they had nearly managed to drag the eggs away from them before Amai took them out with her quicker speed and Alistair finished them off with a single swing of her axe. The delay was _just_ enough to keep them from reaching the felyne cart that was supposed to take them to the awaiting sand ship. As they left the forest and entered the outpost at the base of a large mountain canyon the dust trail fading off into the distance was all they needed to see. After checking in at the hunting post set up in the small town they received confirmation that it was already too late and had summarily been directed to the only inn there was in town.

Alistair grimaced and paid the grinning inn-keeper the nightly fee which was far more then anything she would normally be inclined to pay. Grabbing the key she turned to Amai who was trying to ward off the attentions of some guy who couldn't get it through his head that she wasn't interested. Judging from the way her fingers kept twitching over her blade it wouldn't be long before her firm words turned into firm actions. Taking pity on the girl she said loudly, "Grab your stuff and let's get to our room for the night. We can't afford to miss our morning transport." Alistair reached down and grabbed the two eggs sitting next to her as her partner gave the guy a nice smile and hoisted the eggs wrapped around her back higher.

"Sorry gotta go my hunting partner is calling me and she gets really touchy if I'm late!" Amai said and it was mostly true. The very first thing she had learned about her new hunting companion was that above all things she despised being late and secondly that she was could be prone to mood swings at times. Too bad this guy wasn't taking any of the hints Amai was giving him or the ones Alistair had been throwing as well which had been coming in increasingly firm glares tossed over her shoulder. He just kept pushing it.

Finally having enough Alistair walked over and roughly pulled the guy back by his shirt collar. "She's with me. Find someone else to turn your charms on or I'll be turning my blade on _you_ ," she snarled feeling no pity whatsoever for the scrawny teenager. Hurt feelings would be the least of his worries if he didn't back off. His constant entreaties were staring to annoy her and she wasn't even the one he was talking to. Letting out a stuttered apology at the sight of her armored form he quickly hurried away throwing glances over his shoulder the entire time.

Satisfied Alistair turned back to Amai and held up the key. "Here we go. We need to draft our mission reports tomorrow on the way to the edge of the desert. New regulations state that you have to hand them in on everything other then gathering missions. Some hunters will savage or poach every possible monster they come across instead of just going after their assigned target and its causing serious damage to the ecosystem in some areas," she said leading the way down the hall way towards their room.

Amai hurried to catch up. "Really? Well I guess since this is an egg hunt quest that makes sense. If there aren't any big predators like rathian hatching eggs then herbivores and smaller predators will grow out of control right?" she asked curiously and Alistair nodded.

"Hunting isn't simply signing up for a quest and then doing what ever you want. What you do in between matters just as much as the end result. I've seen plenty of hunters lose their Guild Card and even wind up with jail time for repeatedly using illegal traps or not reporting all their kills. Even those jaggi we took out have to be reported," Alistair added scanning the door plaques until they came to the right number. It took a couple twists and bangs to get the key to work but after a few minutes they were in. It was a pretty bare room with two beds, a wash room, fireplace, a table, and a large window that was open to help circulate some air.

Letting out a heavy sigh Alistair carefully loosened the straps around her waist and slipped the shoulder strap off. Carefully setting the eggs down in front of the empty fireplace she helped Amai with the egg she was carrying as well. As Amai lit the lamps in the room and put the glass covers over them Alistair checked their cargo once again for any damage. No cracks or soft spots.

Rubbing her eyes, Alistair yawned and stood up. "I'm going to get this armor off, take a shower, and then I'm going to bed. Today has lasted long enough," she said casually dropping her hunting supplies on the floor next to the bed. She picked the one closest to the door just in case someone tried to sneak in during the night. It wasn't entirely uncommon for some idiots to try and take advantage of hunters who were worn out after a long day.

Stripping her armor pieces off Alistair took more care placing them next to the bed. They would need to be cleaned, the metal polished, and the supple hide oiled to keep each piece in top shape. Not a task she was looking forward to but she never skipped any steps. When the last pieces were off she rolled her shoulders and headed into the wash room to get herself cleaned up.

* * *

Armor was clean, the eggs were in perfect shape, and she had sent Amai out to get them some food from the inn's kitchen. After a shower and a quick dinner it should have been a quiet night.

Key word being _should_.

"Wake _up!_ "

Alistair jerked awake as a pillow hit her in the head like a bag of sand.

"Ow! What the...? Amai if someone isn't dying then I swear I'll have your head on a platter!" Alistair snarled as she shot up from the uncomfortable bed and even worse smelling sheets. Waking her up was asking for it on a normal day. Waking her up to this sweltering heat after it had already taken a full hour to fall asleep in the first place meant someone needed to suffer. The stifling heat had her sweating almost as soon as she stepped out of the shower and made it nearly impossible to get to sleep despite her just wearing a midriff top and shorts.

"The eggs are hatching!" Amai screeched her eyes wide with panic, but it still took a second for the information to register in Alistair's sleep fogged mind. Staring at the girl for a moment she finally looked over at the eggs. Even in the moonlight that one had a large crack and the other was rocking back and forth wildly.

_Heat speeds up hatching._

And it was well over the 80 degree mark in this room.

Jumping out of bed Alistair stumbled over to the eggs and tried to think of something to do but it was already too late. These eggs  _were_ going to hatch. Instead she turned her anger on Amai who was just standing there. "Don't just stare at me! Light the lamps!" she shouted waving an arm at the girl. Amai jerked to life and hurriedly lit all the lamps in the room providing plenty of light for them to see by.

With her mind racing Alistair could ultimately do nothing but crouch down next to one of the eggs. However, the biggest surprise came when a wing with dark fire markings broke through followed by a tail. A bright, shiny, _metallic silver_ tail.

A loud wail interrupted her thoughts as a larger chunk of the egg cracked and the hatchling fell backwards with a squeak of surprise. Acting on instinct Alistair reached out and grabbed the baby as it kicked free of its confining shell. It rested there for a moment before looking up at her with bright blue eyes. It was a rathalos. A _silver_ rathalos. One of the rarest kinds. Born as a result of a recessive gene that must have been in both parents.

Now everything made sense. The baby still trying to get out of the second egg let out a wail that was loud enough to wake the dead.

_Speaking of dead that's exactly what that businessman is going to be when I get my hands on him!_ Alistair immediately pieced the information together. Civilians were not allowed to keep anything but Class 3 monsters and below as pets. The way monsters were classified varied depending on what area you live in different areas, but rathalos and rathian off-limits to civilians no matter where you went unless you obtained a special license. If this business man had one he wouldn't have bothered hiding it. He would have crowed about it to anyone within hearing distance.

Sure some hunters would take on monsters and train them up as hunting partners, but it was pretty rare in this part of the continent. Researchers were usually the only ones interested in that sort of thing and even then they only wanted the creature used to having a human presence around so they could study it more effectively. A hunter in good standing just needed to fill out adoption papers and they were set to go. Civilian's had to jump through a lot more hoops which resulted in some trying to find more and more ways to cheat the system.

_Our client lied about the age of the eggs so that he could keep them as part of his personal collection!_ Alistair's senses had started to tingle when both her and Amai had arrived at his massive mansion and saw the Royal Ludroth swimming around in the giant aquarium their client had proudly shown to them. He also showed them a hypnocatrice that had preened and cooed at his attentions along with a dozen other creatures. She should have refused the quest then and there when her gut told her something was off but she just couldn't leave Amai to fend for herself.

Alistair was distracted when the hatchling in her arms wiggled around on its back. Sniffing slightly the silver rathalos blinked calmly before cooing softly to her.

Oh heck no.

"I am _not_ your mother!" Alistair said futilely as it rubbed its wet little head against her arm.

A loud crack announced the arrival of the second hatchling as the egg split in two and fell apart. A red bundle tumbled out with a large section of the egg still attached to its back. It was another rathalos hatchling only this one was a more common red color. As soon as it was free it tried to get up on its shaky legs. Immediately it crashed to the ground and tried to get back up only fall over. Rolling over it kicked its feet out only to get its talons snarled in its wings. Crying desperately it started to panic in an attempt to get free.

Grimacing Alistair took the silver rathalos in her arms and carefully placed him on his stomach where he remained, eyes closed and sides heaving. Scooting over she reached down and helped the second baby untangle before he hurt himself. Sighing heavily the hatchling put his head down on her arm and closed his eyes. He was clearly exhausted from his attempts to get out of the egg. Glancing over her shoulder Alistair looked at the third egg but apparently it was a dud.

"I can't believe our client lied to try and cheat the system. He knew these eggs were about ready to hatch and was hoping we would deliver them without realizing the truth," Alistair stated through gritted teeth. Feeling something nudged her arm she looked down to see the silver rathalos pop its head in at her side before he promptly started hissing at Amai who smiled at the babies. Apparently that only scared them more and the red rathalos opened his eyes started humming deep in his throat as he pressed closer to Alistair.

Experimentally she stroked its scales and he settled down. Of course that made his silver brother bump her arm insistently when she didn't do the same thing for him. Jealously started early it seemed.

"Great. Just great. I just wanted to finish this quest and get back home," Alistair said sourly as she rubbed the silver one's head. This was not how she had envisioned her days going. When she got back to Loc Lac she was planning on taking a few days off at the nearest spa to help settle herself before going back out for more quests. Evidently that wasn't going to be happening now.

Amai sat down across from her with her legs crossed. "So what do we do now? I mean the Guild isn't going to let you keep them are they? How does that even work? Then again you are a hunter of a pretty nice ranking so they probably wouldn't care..." she paused for a moment as a big grin spread across her face. "How cool would it be to go hunting from the back of a rathalos?" she asked leaning forward with great excitement only to be brought up short by more hissing from the hatchlings.

"Hey! You're going to be stuck with me for the next few days at least so cut that out!" she chastised. Seeing that she wasn't going away and "mom" wasn't getting upset the silver one sniffed and curled up next to Alistair making a point of turning his back on Amai. The red one wasn't so sure and tilted his head back to look at up at Alistair and see if this person was really okay or not.

Alistair groaned and rubbed her head wearily. She was exhausted and in no mood to deal with all that this situation entailed. Maybe she would be more level-headed in the morning when her head wasn't so sleep fogged. Thankfully the babies wouldn't be hungry for at least a couple days. The egg yolk would sustain them for that long and they would be able to get some meat once they were on the sand ship back to Loc Lac. An image of her riding the back of an adult silver rathalos with a large bow in hand popped unbidden into her mind.

Taking a deep breath, Alistair shook her head. _Don't go getting ahead of yourself_. _Researchers are going to have a field day with this silver baby. The best thing to do is hand both of them over so they can learn more about the species and they can live in relative freedom. Not in a crowded city with me and having hunters look in or poke at them every day,_ she told herself firmly even as the two little wyverns started going to sleep. One in her arms and the other at her side.

But they were just so cute.

Alistair closed her eyes. She'd already lost enough. Taking on these babies would only open herself up to that possibility again, but she couldn't just _abandon_ them to some reserve could she? They might be powerful one day but right now they were helpless and needed protection.

Amai was quiet for several more moments as she leaned forward again and watched them sleep.

"So can I keep one?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"They don't even like you."

"They'll learn!"

"I haven't decided what I'm going to do with them yet so don't go getting yourself too attached."

"Oh, come on! You know you want to keep one for yourself. You know a ton of things about monsters! Definitely more than most other hunters who only care about the easiest way to kill a beast. You are the perfect person to raise them!"

Alistair opened her mouth and then shut it as her brain stubbornly refused to come up with a good argument to that until it got some rest.

"Whatever..."

"Ha! So you admit I'm right? I knew you had a big heart," Amai grinned at her.

Rolling her eyes Alistair leaned back and got comfortable on the floor. It was a lot better than that awful bed actually. "Go to sleep. I'm too tired to deal with this right now."

"What are you going to name them?"

"Amai I swear to all that is holy that if you don't shut up right now before you wake these hatchlings up..."

"All right, all right. Geez, just when I think you're pretty cool you start getting all uptight again."

The rest of the night went undisturbed except for one occasion when the same young man from before knocked on the door to see if everything was okay in their room. Apparently he was a member of the staff and unfortunately for him the knocking woke up two rathalos hatchlings that immediately started crying and putting up a terrible fuss. A half-awake Alistair answered the door and promptly served him a sharp right hook before shoving him against the wall and slamming the door in his face.

* * *

 


	2. What's In A Name

 

* * *

Last night was terrible. Being interrupted by two hatching eggs was already enough to put Alistair in a foul mood. Being woken up _again_ later on by a knock at the door and two wailing baby wyverns definitely hadn't helped any. Even Amai scooted out-of-the-way this morning when the older hunter stalked by with both rathalos scurrying along behind as fast as their little taloned feet could take them. Getting used to standing and walking around hadn't taken them very long.

Now they were in the main lobby of the inn checking out. Silence had fallen in the room as soon as they arrived. It wasn't like you could hide two baby rathalos after all. Amai had suggested making harnesses for the hatchlings, but Alistair declined. They were only a few hours old so it would be a few weeks at least before they were bold enough to wander any real distance away from their "mother". Even now both of them were pressed up against her legs and kept stepping all over her feet in an effort to hide themselves. They clearly did not feel comfortable with so many pairs of eyes on them and the red one kept squeaking and nudging Alistair's armored legs with concern. While the silver one was mostly silent, whenever someone stared at him for too long he would arch his neck and fan his little wings out while hissing to make himself look as scary as possible.

If the scowl on Alistair's face wasn't enough to scare off any curious civilians then the massive axe she slammed down on the front counter of the inn certainly was. Glaring through bloodshot eyes at the inn-keeper she all but threw the room key at him and asked if there were any other fees that needed to be paid. Not wanting to irritate the hunter further he quickly found the bill and slid it over to her. Alistair grabbed her money pouch, took out the right amount of zeni and dropped it on the counter. Snatching her weapon she strapped it to her back and headed out before he could give her a receipt.

Looking up Alistair saw a familiar face. One that was now sporting a rather prominent black eye. She watched as the boy scampered away as fast as possible even as Amai walked back over to her with raised eyebrows. Crossing her arms she stared at her partner suspiciously.

"Alistair what did you do? I thought you were just answering the door last night..." Amai said in a chastising tone. She had sent the younger hunter out to sell some of the extra items they had and the full zeni pouch was now hanging from her waist. It should come in handy if the hatchlings started getting hungry on the way back.

Shrugging her shoulders Alistair pretended to inspect her armor. "I don't know what you're talking about. I told him that everything was just fine and there was no need to worry. The door must have hit him when I closed it," she said innocently. The look Amai gave in return clearly said that she didn't believe one word of that.

Glancing down Alistair saw the two babies all but glued to her feet. Looking back up at her they chirped happily and rubbed against her legs affectionately. Perfect. Taking a deep breath to calm herself down she nodded to the felyne cart sitting just in front of the inn waiting for them. It would be pulled by two aptonoth and both of them kept lifting their heads and shifting uneasily as they picked up the scent of the two hatchlings. The felyne driver himself looked none to happy with the two wyverns that would apparently be tagging along, but didn't complain.

"Enough talk. I want to get back to Loc Lac as soon as possible," Alistair said as she bent over to pick up one of the hatchlings and put them up on the back of the cart. Naturally the other started fussing immediately when she wasn't fast enough in picking him up.

This was going to be a _long_ trip.

* * *

Amai looked like she was ready to burst. Lifting her helmet slightly Alistair looked at her companion who had her lips firmly pressed together and her fingers tapping impatiently on the wooden floor.

Both of the hatchlings were too busy running back and forth, torn between watching the aptonoth that were pulling the cart and peering through the slats to gaze at the passing scenery. Either way they were keeping themselves entertained which had given Alistair an opportunity to catch up on some much needed sleep. With that done she found her mood greatly improved. Sighing heavily Alistair pulled her helmet off and sat up. Running a hand through her hair she stretched and shifted her position so that she was sitting back against the sides of the cart. Moments later the hatchlings were all over her with happy chirps bubbling up in their throats. Try as she might she couldn't keep a tiny smile from crossing her lips as they nuzzled her.

It was hard to imagine that one day these two would be fierce predators and a one of a hunter's worst nightmares.

"Awwww, that's so cute!" Amai was grinning with a grin. Apparently the adorable sight was all it took to turn her mood around. Immediately Alistair's face dropped back into a scowl.

"Oh come on Alistair! I'm trying to give you a compliment! What happened to that peaceful smile?"

Swallowing a sharp retort Alistair instead watched as the two rathalos sniffed Amai's armor and the red one started nibbling at it.

Amai's words yesterday were still on her mind. Although she didn't relish the idea of being stuck trying to figure out how to raise these two successfully, they really didn't belong in the hands of some Guild researcher who would have little choice but to put them in an enclosure and study them from there. Once an egg hatched the Hunter's Guild required that if the hunter didn't want to raise it themselves then the hatchling would go to a sanctuary for the rest of its life.

A frown spread across Alistair's face as she watched the silver hatchling tug on her boots. Red and azure rathalos inhabited a wide range of areas and could often be found in near populated areas, but the silver breed was never found near people. The juveniles and adults would fly away from even the smallest villages and were notoriously shy. There was _no way_ they would let him go to an open air sanctuary and run the risk of him flying away when he got big enough to do so. They would keep him in an giant enclosure for the rest of their lives. A big enclosure but still a glorified cage. They deserved better then that.

_A cage is still a cage. Being locked up isn't fair to any monster,_ Alistair considered as she closed her eyes. Keeping them with her probably was the best thing for all of them. Even if she didn't have the slightest idea of where to start. She wiggled her fingers and the silver one leaned over and closed his eyes in contentment as she rubbed under his jaw. Naturally his brother started whining until she did the same for him.

"Have you thought of names yet?" Amai asked suddenly.

This woman...

Rolling her eyes, Alistair thought about that for a moment. Her family were farmers by nature and while they had kept some beasts around they had all been herbivores. Even the aging diablos her father used to help dig up and carry crops ate cactus, desert ferns, and minerals to help keep its armor strong.

"Well?" Amai pressed and received a glare in return.

"Let me think for a moment would you?" she responded sharply as she thought about various words and combinations. It didn't take long for the perfect one to come to mind. "Hmm, lets see. How about... Ginouji? It means Silver Prince," she said to the silver rathalos as it cocked its head curiously at her and bobbed his head.

"Hey I think he likes it!" Amai said leaning closer to the newly named hatchling only to get a mouthful of snapping teeth and hissing instead. "Seriously? Come on, I was there when you were born too! Why don't you like me instead of Alistair?" she demanded as Ginouji backed up and pressed against Alistair for protection. He twisted his head around and blinked at her questioningly. They _would_ be together for the next couple of days so it would be best if they got used to her.

Nodding slowly Alistair nudged him forward a little. "It's okay she's not going to hurt you," she said trying sound as soothing as possible.

"If that was supposed to be a sweet tone of voice then you've got a _lot_ to work on," Amai's face twisted into a grimace as Alistair glared at her.

"Fine. I'll let them grow up and shoot fireballs at you. How's that?" Alistair threatened as the red rathalos hatchling slowly inched up to the girl and sniffed her hesitantly. Amai stuck her tongue out childishly as the wyvern worked up more courage and gently nibbled at the edge of her top as his light blue eyes looked up to watch her carefully.

"See? At least one of them likes me. I think Ginouji is gonna grow up to be a momma's boy honestly," Amai added nodding towards the silver hatchling which had settled down from his earlier wandering and now showed no inclination whatsoever to move away from Alistair. If anything he seemed to be glaring back at the other girl.

Turning her attention to the second hatchling Alistair thought for a moment before coming up with another name. "We'll call you Akairo," she announced as the baby wandered back to her. He yawned and also curled up next to her. Akairo shifted a few times and rustled his little wings before putting his head in her lap and closing his eyes. How could you not melt at a sight like that?

Amai brightened and smiled happily when Akairo lay there and allowed her to pet him gently. "See? That wasn't so hard was it? What does it mean?"

"Red."

"...red? That's the best you can come up with is a name that means red?"

"Just keep the insults coming and you'll be running behind this cart instead of sitting on it," Alistair threatened as Amai held her hands up to ward off any potential physical attacks.

"I'm just saying you could use a little more imagination that's all," she said in her defense.

"I don't need imagination I need something simple. Besides I need to start train them as soon as possible so that they'll come, stay, and be quiet when I command them to. The Hunter's Guild shouldn't have any problem with me keeping them and will probably encourage it to appease their researchers and scientists. The review process shouldn't take long so I only plan to stay in the city for a week or so. After I pick up supplies from my guest house I'm heading to Port Tanzia to stay with a friend. You can do whatever you want," she informed hoping the girl would find something else to do.

"Oh cool! I'll come with you then! I can always do quests in Tanzia if I need the money," Amai said with a happy smile.

Curses.

Twitching slightly Alistair tried to convince her current hunting partner to leave her alone after this. "Look I can tolerate teaching younger hunter's on quests, but that's as far as it goes. I don't need or want any more friends and I'm going to have my hands full trying to train Ginouji and Akairo. You're gonna be on your own anyway so you might as well stay in Loc Lac," she pressed harder, but her hints went flying right over Amai's head.

"My family won't even know what's going on. When I told them I wanted to be a hunter they practically threw me..." she paused for a moment when Alistair's eyebrows shot up curiously. Clearing her throat Amai flushed a bright red and rubbed her neck as a nervous smile flashed across her face. "...but you don't need to know any of that right now do you? Besides these two will be a handful! You can't watch them all by yourself 24 hours a day can you? Especially when they get bigger. Hunting will be the easiest way to provide food for them and I can definitely help out with that," Amai seemed like she had everything planned out already.

Alistair gritted her teeth and decided to word things far more bluntly. "Look, you're going to be in the way. My friend will provide a room for me as well as all the help I need with training. I have no illusions that I'm a nice person to be around and you would be better off without me outside of quests," she said point-blank.

"Just asking."

"Then don't. I've still got half a mind to let you run behind this cart especially if you don't stop talking. It's giving me a headache," Alistair warned as she looked up to check the sun's position. She previously owned a pocket clock before with a dial that had a sun on one side and a moon on the other as well as marks on the sides to help determine more precisely what hour it was, but it kept getting broken on dangerous hunts so it was currently sitting back in her guest house at Loc Lac unfixed.

_Somewhere around two in the afternoon I would say. So we should be at the sand ship in another hour or so,_ Alistair considered as she grabbed her helmet and tipped it over her head just enough to keep the sun out of her eyes while she slept some more.

* * *

This was _not_ going to be an easy trip. From the moment they stepped on the sand ship the crew had started giving them dirty looks. A few of the men had clearly been curious when they saw the two hatchlings come on board but had quickly been crowded out by the louder members of the crew.

Alistair couldn't help but take note of one older man who walked with a limp and had a massive scar wrapped around his right arm. His eyes hadn't left the two hatchlings yet and while they had set sail long ago she could still feel his gaze on them as he helped with the rigging. Amai was at the back of the ship talking to the captain so Alistair was standing here alone, which wasn't that bad of a thing actually. She finally had some semblance of peace and quiet.

Shifting uncomfortably Alistair looked over at the hatchlings who were a short distance away. Both were peering over the side with happy chirps and squeaks as they looked out over the sand dunes they were gliding past. No matter how she tried to relax she couldn't help but get a bad feeling about all of this. Or more specifically about _him_.

Any hunter would recognize the scars he had as coming from a large predator. Combined with the neck and chest burns peeking out of his vest and the nasty look he was giving Ginouji and Akairo it wasn't outside of the realm of possibility to assume that his injuries had come from an adult rathalos or rathian.

_I'd better keep my eye on him. Raising these two is not a thought I particularly like, but now that they are here they're going to be my responsibility. One day they'll be massive beasts capable of killing several men with a single blast of fire or a swing of their tail. Right now, though, both of them are helpless hatchlings and they need me to survive,_ Alistair thought staring back at the man until he turned away. Teaching other hunters the basics of hunting and having them repay the favor someday was one thing. Having someone depend solely on her for protection and survival was another.

An ear-piercing screech made her jump and Alistair immediately turned to see the man who had been glaring at the hatchlings standing right next to them with a large hook in his hand. By his feet was Akairo and she looked down just in time to see him pitch forward under the deck railing as Ginouji lurched forward and bit his brother's tail. The sudden action caused him to slip forward towards the open air as well.

Jumping into action Alistair covered the few feet separating them with the speed of a true hunter and grabbed Ginouji around the front of his chest with one hand and snatched Akairo's tail with the other. Roughly hauling both of them back to safety she could already see that Akairo had a long gash along his neck that was bleeding heavily. When she had moved them back a few feet from the railing Ginouji finally let go of his brother's tail and started sniffing his neck earnestly.

Akairo was shaking so badly he could barely stand and when the older crew man took a step closer to stand next to Alistair he flinched and ducked his head with a whimper, lifting his wings for protection as well. Whirling around Alistair stood up and put herself between the hatchlings and the crewman.

"What did you _do_ to him?" she roared angrily.

Lips thinning he lifted the hook in his hand and casually looked at the blood on the end of it. "Scaly beast was too close to the edge. Tryin' to get him to back up when the ship pitched and he snagged himself on my rope hook. Scared himself bad and tore open that wound tryin to get away. Didn't mean no harm hunter. Just a simple accident," he said with a level voice.

It took all of Alistair's strength not to point out that if the ship had pitched she would have felt it as well. Instead she clenched her fists. "And you expect me to believe that when you've been standing there glaring at them all this time?" she growled not backing down from him or this confrontation. The smile he gave was more of a grimace and only made her more suspicious of what had just happened.

They were interrupted when Amai came running over looking and sounding out of breath. Stopping next to them she too looked suspiciously at the man. "Hey what's going on? I heard Akairo scream," Amai said breathlessly as she crouched down next to the babies who for once didn't shy away from her. Akairo was still trembling and other than his shallow breaths he wasn't moving an inch. Looking up Amai shook her head firmly at her hunting partner's current stare down.

"Alistair? Come on pick your fights later I think he's in shock and we need something to stop this bleeding," she said as she tried to examine the wound only to be stopped by Ginouji who refused to back up and instead kept turning around and hissing at the older man.

Alistair pursed her lips and watched angrily as the deck hand casually sauntered off to get back to work. He had made it clear that he didn't approve of these two young rathalos being on board and there wasn't a doubt in her mind that whatever he did was intentional. Even if she didn't particularly want two helpless babies hanging around her 24 hours a day there was still no way that she would just abandon them. They thought she was their mother and were completely and totally dependent on her. To be honest the thought scared her. Mistakes in this line of work almost always meant that someone ended up disfigured or dead.

Clenching her jaw, Alistair turned around and crouched down next to Akairo. Wrapping her arms around him she picked him up with a grunt and could still feel him shaking. She nodded towards door that led back into the two tiny guest rooms reserved for hunters as well as the captain's quarters. "Lets go back to the room and find something to use as a bandage," she said glancing down to see Ginouji looking up and shifting back and forth impatiently.

Amai looked around suspiciously at the crew but followed her back to the room anyway. She rushed to open the door and Alistair hurried in and sat down on one of the two beds still holding Akairo in her arms. Ginouji had dutifully followed behind her and now stood next to her with his head on her knee. Watching as she examined his brother carefully.

The third unhatched egg was bundled and sitting by the bed. Alistair had completely forgotten about it, but thankfully Amai had grabbed it and brought it along with them. The Guild would tan their hides if they just left a wyvern egg behind without reporting it.

"Here we go! It's not much but it's cloth and it's clean," Amai said interrupting Alistair's thoughts. She was holding up a few strips of white material. First she ripped one piece and then grabbed a jug of water sitting under the other bed and poured a little over the cloth. Handing it over to Alistair she sat down on the edge of the bed and let her fingers dance impatiently on her knees.

"Easy there," Alistair said softly as she gently cleaned around the wound and made sure to get all the sand out. Akairo was starting to come back around and fidgeted his wings but didn't move around too much thankfully. When she was satisfied that it was cleaned enough and no sand or wood had gotten stuck in the wound she took a few more strips of material from Amai and wrapped them around the red rathalos neck. Tying it off she hesitated for a moment unsure of what to do next.

"Maybe you should hold him like that for a while. I think he could use a little comfort after a nasty shock like that," Amai suggested as Ginouji chirped softly at his injured brother.

Hunting? Simple. Teaching rookie hunters the basics? Piece of cake. Comforting someone? Not so much.

Alistair swallowed uncomfortably and awkwardly held the little rathalos tighter. Akairo took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Turning his head he lifted it slightly and let it rest on her shoulder.

_I don't know what that guy's problem is but it was totally uncalled for. Sure rathalos are dangerous, but not little ones like this. Any good hunter worth their merit has more dignity than to kill a baby like this whether they like the creature or not,_ Alistair thought grimly. Problem was that not all hunters were so honorable. There were plenty of idiots out there and she doubted that things would improve when they got back to Loc Lac.

_Keeping these hatchlings in one piece until I get to the city is gonna be the death of me. Maybe it would be best to give them over to some researchers and forget all about them,_ Alistair knew she was being indecisive but what else was she supposed to do? It wasn't like this kind of situation came up every day. Hunter's employed by the Guild were primarily interested in behavior that would make them easier to hunt or would drive them away from populated areas. Private researchers didn't always publish their findings outside of scientific circles and libraries so it could be expensive getting a hold of good research books. 

"Sometimes I wonder if I should have just stayed at home on the farm," Alistair mumbled under her breath and Amai snapped out of her day dreaming and furrowed her brow.

"Hunh?"

"Nothing. Why don't you go up and ask the captain how long until we reach the city?" she said and Amai narrowed her eyes but did as she was told. As she left Ginouji lifted his head and stared at the door. Alistair could practically see the wheels in his little head turning as his eyes visibly narrowed. That thought brought her to another point. One she had very little experience with.

_Just how smart are rathalos anyway?_ She thought as Ginouji puffed himself up and hissed again as he stared towards the open door.

* * *

 


	3. Make Up Your Mind

Chapter 3: Make Up Your Mind

* * *

That night Alistair couldn't sleep. Instead she was sitting on deck with the hatchlings while Amai slept like a log in the cramped room they'd been given. Akairo was still scared from his close encounter earlier and refused to leave her side. Right now he was curled up in her lap. Every time she twitched he was lifting his head to make sure she didn't leave him and would whimper or cry out whenever she moved more than a few steps away.

She may have been indecisive before but now her mind was firmly made up. There was _no way_ she was letting go of these two. It would take a lot of research and work to raise them but it was far better than taking the risk of having someone else hurt them.

_Speaking of getting hurt..._ Alistair thoughts trailed off as she glared over at the crew member from before. He was working the night shift as well and was making sure the men manning the sails were awake and paying close attention to the shifting desert winds. If even one man wasn't paying attention then the sail could easily shift, sending the wooden beam swinging wildly across the deck and seriously injuring or killing somebody. It had already happened once when one man had started dozing off and it had resulted in a man nearly getting knocked overboard. That incident had resulted in a sharp lashing. Both verbally and physically.

What bothered Alistair the most was the way Ginouji had started paying attention after the incident. For the longest time he had stared up at the full sail and then back down at the man who was now under close watch for getting distracted. Then he would tilt his head slightly and look at the crewman who had injured his brother and narrow his eyes. Alistair didn't like the look in his eyes, but he was only a day old so surely he couldn't be old enough to plan any real form of retaliation... right?

_The first thing I'm doing when we get back to Loc Lac is report to the Hunter's Guild. After that I'm going to the library to see how much information I can look up on rathalos and rathian. There must be something there that will give me an idea of how intelligent they are,_ Alistair thought with a sigh. Too tired to stay awake, but too troubled to sleep. She was going to be in another foul mood tomorrow morning.

Stretching her arms above her head, Alistair carefully lifted Akairo and moved him off her lap... just in time to notice that Ginouji wasn't there. Immediately she looked up in time to see him at the legs of a crew member who was in the middle of carefully moving the sail to keep the ship moving with the wind. The silver rathalos hatchling darted forward and nipped at the back of his legs just above the foot. Naturally the man screamed and let go of the rope he was holding. The main sail groaned and the wooden beam on the bottom whipped around with blinding speed as the wind turned it violently. As the main sail shifted entire sand ship pitched to the side along with it.

"Uzan look out!" someone shouted and the old crewman from earlier today turned around at the sound of his name, but it was already too late. The beam hit him right in the head with a sharp _crack_ and he was forced backwards. A second later he tipped backwards over the railing of the sand ship and disappeared out of sight.

Everyone rushed over to the railing to look for him as a few tried to get the swinging main mast back under control.

"Something bit me I swear! I never meant to let go!"

"That doesn't matter now! What do we do about Uzan? Someone throw a rope out to him for him to grab on to!"

"Wait there he is over there, but his neck..."

One man rushed to throw a rope out but another guy in a heavy white tunic stopped him. "No, don't bother. You should have seen the way that beam hit him. Uzan must have snapped his neck. I could hear it from where I was standing. Man was dead before he knew what hit him..." he said with a grimace as he looked around. Bending over he grabbed another man's leg and looked at it. "Hmm, definitely a long scrape here. Must have been one of those big desert biting flies. Either way you're off duty until we get back to the city. Standard procedure," he added as the man who had let go of the rope deflated and then turned to point accusingly at Alistair.

"You! It's all your fault! It must have been that scaly beast you have! I know I saw him running underfoot in all the commotion!" the injured guy argued, his face flushed with anger. Not knowing what to say about that Alistair looked around and to her surprise saw Ginouji laying down next to his brother his head tilted slightly as he looked over at them.

_Well aren't you a smart one? And just the picture of innocence too,_ she thought with a frown as the silver hatchling chirped and put his head down. His shining blue eyes blinked calmly in the dim lantern light.

"Forget it. Get below while I talk to the captain about this. He'll decide what happens next. Besides I don't see any teeth marks on you like one of those little ones would inflict. Just a bloody scratch so stop trying to accuse people," the white tunic crew member said with a disgusted look before turning to her. "Please forgive us for all the trouble we've caused you Hunter. I promise you and your companion will have no more trouble on your trip," he said with a short bow as he ordered everyone back to work and walked off to inform the captain about what had just happened.

Slowly everybody got back to work albeit more quietly and with a lot more focus. That left Alistair standing there wondering what had just happened.

* * *

"Whoa! No way! Ginouji did it?" Amai said and squeaked as Alistair jumped forward to slap a hand over her mouth.

"Tell the whole world why don't you?" she hissed and the teenage girl gave her a sheepish look and lowered her voice. They were back in their quarters with Akairo awake and fidgeting with his neck wrappings and Ginouji looking rather pleased with himself. At least that's what the chirps bubbling out of his throat would suggest.

"But you really saw him bite the guy's foot? Is he smart enough to calculate what would happen like that?" Amai asked as she cast a careful eye at the silver hatchling.

Alistair shrugged, "I'd say not, but then again what I'm most familiar with is how to gauge a monster's intelligence when it comes to fighting. Rathalos can give even the best of hunters a run for their money, but you can't gauge intelligence solely on that factor. Bird wyverns as a group are considered to be among the smartest creatures in the world," she said trying to remember what she had read before during her personal research.

Amai made a face at that. "I've only personally seen a qurupeco, but I do know that they aren't particularly difficult to defeat once you learn its attack pattern," she said and Alistair nodded as she glanced over at the closed door. Akairo kept fussing so Alistair finally rolled her eyes and put him down on the floor so he could play fight with his brother.

"Exactly. Then you have diablos which can be extremely difficult for even experienced hunters like me, but we had one back home to work on our family farm and... they aren't particularly bright despite their excellent combat skills," she remembered with a slight smile as she thought of the old beast. He must be positively ancient by now. Regaining her focus she added, "My point is that I know rathalos and rathian are intelligent, but I need to know to what extent. In what areas do they excel and where do they fall short? The fact that so few people have been able to tame rathalos or have been reported as taming them could simply be evidence of a lack of understanding or could show that they are extremely intelligent. The smartest monsters are always the most difficult to hold captive," Alistair said watching as the two hatchlings tussled around and bit lightly at each other. Ginouji was clearly being careful of his brother's injured neck.

Realizing they were getting off track Alistair shook her head and leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms as she thought about it. "Silver rathalos are especially rare so it wouldn't surprise me if they turned out to be smarter than the red or azure males. I have an older sister who works as a researcher and..." she was interrupted when Amai waved her hands to cut her off.

"Whoa whoa whoa! You have an older sister? Then what's with all the fuss about keeping the hatchlings or giving them over? You know someone on the inside!" Amai demanded and then added with a low mumble, "Since you won't let me keep one..."

Alistair caught that comment and gave her a sharp look. "That's because you're too inexperienced. Besides my sister despises Guild Hunters. She thinks we're all a bunch of meat heads out to kill innocent monsters just for kicks. I tried telling her that people wouldn't be able to live peacefully without our help and the Guild doesn't just take any request that comes along but she refused to listen. All she would do is keep them locked up and in a sanctuary to keep Ginouji from flying away and I hate that idea. I can't say I disagree with their reasons for doing it but I still don't like it. I will try to ask her opinion and get any material she can refer me to. Just know that I'd never leave them with her. There are too many differences between us for that," she snorted and looked away. Hearing the bitterness in her voice the hatchlings stopped their play to look around and see what the trouble was.

"I wasn't talking to you two," Alistair said with a wave of her hand. Akairo took that as permission to keep playing and went back to doing so with great enthusiasm. "So I've finally, definitively made up my mind. I'm going to keep and raise these hatchlings myself with the help of my friends in Port Tanzia, but I'll be doing plenty of research before leaving Loc Lac," she announced and punctuated her decision with a firm nod. "That's the best chance they have of survival even if I don't like the idea of possibly being mangled or eaten someday by my own stupid mistake," she added as the hatchlings continued to squawk and chirp happily.

Amai followed her gaze and rested her chin on the palm of her hand. "You know... it's so hard to think that one day they'll be such fearsome creatures. They look so cute and adorable right now!" she said with obvious delight. A moment later she whistled a little tune to them. Immediately both stopped upon hearing the noise and stared her way. Ginouji tilted his head curiously as she whistled again. With a flutter of his wings the silver hatchling copied her whistle in a slightly deeper tone. Akairo tried to do the same but couldn't get it quite right and instead did it the best he could.

Both of them bobbed their heads happily and continued whistling back and forth to each other and showed no signs or intentions of stopping.

Alistair shot Amai such a fierce look that the girl bowed her head sheepishly and shrank back against the small bed she was sitting on. Lowering her voice to the most dangerous level she could manage the older hunter practically snarled at her as she said, "If those two don't stop then you are gonna be sleeping out on deck... _alone_ ," she emphasized as Ginouji hopped over to her whistling just as proudly as ever.

Akairo was doing the same and seemed determined to keep trying until he got it right. It was going to be another long night.

* * *

"Sorry for the trouble Hunter. Don't worry about Uzan. It's a sad occurence but he didn't have any family or real friends that I know of for me to tell. Don't blame yourselves all right? And I know it isn't much but if you need our services again then just ask and we'll take you anywhere that we can get to for free," the captain said to the two female hunters. Well technically he was only talking to Alistair since Amai was occupied with trying to shoo the hatchlings down the ship's ramp. Naturally it wasn't working since they refused to leave their "mother's" side and instead kept hissing at her.

"Thanks for the offer I might just have to take you up on it," Alistair said shaking hands with him. Turning around she nearly tripped over Akairo who once again was nearly on her feet. Looking up the red rathalos tilted his head slightly and spread his wings as he cooed softly. She knew exactly what he was trying to do.

_I'm just so cute! How could you possibly be mad at me?_

Sighing at his unspoken appeal Alistair merely shook her head and stepped over him. Chirping with excitement they immediately followed at her heels their talons scrapping and clicking all the way down the plank. Akairo hesitated at the bottom, but steeled himself and jumped off when his brother urged him on.

Amai stretched her arms over her head and took a deep breath. Bending back over she picked up the last unhatched rathalos egg that was sitting at her feet. "Man is it good to be back! So where to first? The Quest Counter right?" she asked and received a silent nod in reply. After waiting for a moment and receiving no other comments or thoughts from her companion Amai decided to try again. "Okaaayyyy... so what now? I mean we can't exactly hide these two and they are small enough to carry but not for very long..." she added trying to get Alistair to do something other than stand there with her arms crossed and lips pursed.

Alistair hummed at that and once again looked down at the hatchlings. Akairo was hiding behind her with his blue eyes wide as he watched the activity all around the sand ship docks. Ginouji was eagerly shifting from foot to foot and bobbing his head curiously at all the new sights and sounds.

Finally Alistair took a deep breath and let it out slowly before saying, "We don't have any choice but to let them walk. You have your hands full and I have these provisions to carry with me as well. You stay behind me and make sure you keep an eye on the two of them. The chance of them running off is small but the docks are always crowded. Once we get back to the tavern and quest counter we'll have more room to breathe." Alistair hefted her switch ax a little higher on her back and whistled sharply to the hatchlings. Amai opened her mouth to say something but Alistair had already started walking down the stone walkway. After slight glance over his shoulder at her Ginouji chirped to his brother and both hurried after Alistair practically attached to her heels.

As they walked they certainly attracted a lot of attention. Everyone along the way would stop or at least pause their conversation for a moment to stare at the two small rathalos walking along with the two hunters. The attention was making Akairo nervous and Ginouji defensive.

Now that they were back in the city even Alistair was starting to feel the nervous tension gnawing away in her gut. Every couple of steps she would pause for a moment to look and make sure both rathalos were there. Whenever she did both babies would look up at her with bright glowing eyes. At least they were oblivious to the fate awaiting them. Everything they saw and encountered was a totally new experience. They felt completely secure and safe as long as she was there with them.

Shaking off her nerves Alistair lifted her head and kept walking. The steps took longer since both babies stopped at the top and refused to move. It took a lot of encouragement from Amai and sharp words from Alistair to finally convince them that this giant invention wasn't going to hurt them. Akairo still saw fit to whine and cry with each step he hopped down, but his neck injury didn't seem affected by it and Ginouji rumbled under his breath the entire time, but finally came down as well.

Lanei was manning the Quest Counter had already been watching their adventure on the stairs. She smiled broadly as they walked up. Amai put the egg she was carrying up on the counter and sighed with relief. Alistair pulled the Quest Agreement out of her armor and laid it out on the table. Lanei glanced at the paper for a moment before leaning forward over the counter and peering down at the two rathalos who looked back up at her innocently.

"I see there was a uh... problem during the hunt? I told you that client was up to something," Lanei asked as a smirk crossed her lips. The 'I told you so' look on her face was just too much to swallow. Grimacing Alistair rubbed her temple wearily.

"Yeah, and I should have listened to my gut. Mark the quest as 'incomplete pending investigation'. I'd also like to put in a formal request for ownership and registration of these two rathalos. One red, one silver. Names Akairo and Ginouji,"Alistair said as Lanei turned around and opened a drawer. A moment later she turned back with a small stack of papers in her hand.

Even as she started writing in the information, Lanei kept talking steadily. "Even though I was right _as usual_ I'll save the majority of my gloating for later when you treat me to all the drinks I want at Blooming Cactus Tavern," she stated as she continued writing on the next page. Rolling her eyes, Alistair crossed her arms impatiently and looked away.

"Awww how cute, she's sulking! Is that any way to treat a friend?"

"I am not sulking and you are _not_ a friend!"

Amai looked back and forth between the two with a slight smile before saying, "So how long have you two known each other?" Lanei was only too happy to answer despite the glower Alistair shot the teenager's way.

"A couple years now. Ever since miss bright and sunny over here became a hunter. I have yet to lose a bet against her I'll have you know," she added with a sly wink as Alistair grunted bitterly and snatched the registration papers away from her. Checking them over she pulled the pen out of Lanei's hand and signed her name at the bottom.

"Will you two quit talking about me already? This is _serious_ ," Alistair reminded them as the baby rathalos butted against her legs impatiently and started to cry. "Besides I think these guys are hungry so I need to get them settled in before I go pick up some supplies at the market," she added firmly as Lanei took the papers from her and put the Quest Agreement on top.

"Don't worry everything will be just fine. I'll take care of this egg and I take it you already have a report drafted for me...?" Lanei paused for a moment as Amai hesitated before fumbling through her pack for the bound ledger Alistair had told her to hold on to earlier. After finding it she handed it over and the woman nodded with satisfaction. "Thank you! I'll deliver all of this tonight and someone should be in contact with you no later than tomorrow night. That insufferable man who hired you two has been coming here at least three times a day recently to see if you were back yet so I know some of the committee members are getting tired of him as well," she added wrinkling her nose at the memory.

Amai smiled warmly and turned to Alistair. "See? No need to worry! So where are we staying?" she asked curiously

Alistair scowled at her and poked her forehead. " _We_ aren't staying anywhere. _You_ are going back to your first-rate hovel while I sleep in comfort and take care of these two hatchlings," she countered only to have Amai pout and slap her hand away.

"Oh, come on! Those quarters are pathetic! The bed is nothing but straw and wooden boards and it smells so bad that no amount of cleaning will make it better. I've seen the rooms hunters like you get and I know you have plenty of space for me! Just let me spread out on the carpet, you'll barely even know I'm there!" Amai clasped her hands together and gave the older woman a pleading look as Lanei looked on with great amusement.

"You know..." Lanei interrupted, "It _would_ be best to have someone else around. Besides she can go buy supplies and you can sit back and teach your new charges some manners. They're going to need them if you expect to have them around people and especially other hunters. You lot aren't always the nicest of friends you know," she put in reasonably and letting her chin rest in her hands. She had a good point and she knew it.

Opening her mouth, Alistair realized she had lost this argument and just sighed heavily.

Jumping up and down Amai let out a loud cry and gave Lanei a high-five.

"Yeah, keep that up and you're sleeping with the pig."

"You're just mad that you didn't get your way again."

A loud cry by Akairo interrupted them and Alistair shot them a triumphant look. "See? While you all are busy talking these two are standing around starving. How inconsiderate for a girl who claims she cares so much," she said with a shake of her head. "Come on you two let's get you fed," she added with a spiteful grin as Amai sputtered in protest. Before the girl could retaliate Alistair had already walked off with the two rathalos in tow.

* * *

"Here we go!" Amai said as she kicked the door closed behind her. "I wasn't sure how much to get, but they had a good sale going on the fish since this is the desert and most of it is stuff nobody wants anyway so I got a ton," she said dropping a bunch of large sacks down on the ground. "Figured we can smoke whatever they don't eat tonight," she paused for a moment and then added, "Although some help would have been nice..." she mumbled under her breath.

Alistair glanced her way for a moment but then turned back to the hatchlings. After getting her armor off and putting on some more casual clothes she was now working with the babies. Currently she was teaching Akairo and Ginouji how to lay down and stay. If they were in the wild either the mother or father would have done the same thing almost from the moment they were born. The hatchlings would be taught to stay put and be quiet whenever both parents had to leave the nest unguarded. Skills like this were invaluable for young hatchlings since predators like jaggi would pick them off at the first opportunity.

Teaching them to be quiet however was another matter. Akairo and Ginouji were so happy to have their mother's full attention that they kept chirping and cooing when they should be quiet, but it was still early so she had to give them some leeway.

Amai raised an eyebrow curiously as she watched them. Alistair had one finger up and the hatchlings were totally focused on her. When she finally dropped it they sprang up from their "hiding" place on the plush carpet and ran back up to her nuzzling her affectionately and cooing happily. Even Alistair couldn't keep a stoic look on her face under all that attention and her face melted into a warm smile as she pet both of them. When she caught Amai grinning at her however, she immediately glowered in return. Seeing the bags of food though her expression softened slightly.

"Don't give them the entire thing. We'll have to fillet it and gut it and just give them that. Both of them are too young and I don't want to risk them choking on any small bones," Alistair said as she stood up and walked over to the table. She grabbed a large knife as Akairo and Ginouji followed her closely peering around her legs as Amai picked the bags back up and brought them to the large wooden table.

There were several fish and all of them were rubbed down with a special oil and then bundled in large ferns to keep them fresh for as long as possible. Pulling two large ones out Amai placed them on the table and unwrapped them as both rathalos started making noise upon realizing that food was coming.

Alistair used the knife to slice the fish open and cut the guts out as Amai grimaced and held her nose dramatically.

Ignoring her Alistair continued her work and filleted the fish as well. When that was done she wrapped the guts up in paper and tossed them towards Amai who reluctantly caught and held them at arms length. Lifting the ferns and the fish pieces on top of it, Alistair put it down on the stone floor as the hatchlings milled around sniffing eagerly. They looked up at her and when she nodded they both tore into the meal hissing at each other only when they both grabbed a piece and Ginouji refused to let it go. Rolling her eyes Alistair grabbed it from them as they cried out in surprise. Cutting it in half she gave a piece to each one and they stopped complaining and went back to eating.

"They'll probably need several fish a day at that rate or a lot of meat so it's a good thing we aren't staying for very long," Alistair said as she headed to the bathroom to wash her hands. When she returned she sat down at the table and rubbed her neck wearily. It wasn't very late but she was still exhausted and more than ready for bed. Sighing tiredly she added, "I'll send out a letter to my friends in Port Tanzia via the postal service tomorrow morning and visit a nearby library while we wait for a response from the Guild about registering these two hatchlings as well as what to do about our Quest and the fees we paid out," she explained, watching as Amai cut up two more fish for the hatchlings to eat. "I'll need you to stay here and watch these two while I'm out. Leaving them alone at such a young age isn't something I want to do, especially when I know other hunters may have seen Ginouji," she added darkly as she cast a wary look towards the door.

Amai put a hand on her chest proudly. "Don't worry! With me here watching over them what could possibly go wrong?" she asked, proud that she was being trusted to do this.

Alistair stared at her for a moment before saying, "On second thought maybe they'd be safer alone."

"Hey!"

"Quit complaining and give them some more fish. You wanted to stay so don't whine about it now that you're here."

Amai realized her companion was right and quickly swallowed her irritation as she pulled out two more fish. Maybe she should have gone back to her stinking hovel after all.


	4. Violence Starts Young

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to take a moment to point out that the research Alistair does in this chapter is made up by me and not officially canon with the Monster Hunter universe/games. I came up with it myself and I admit I am biased towards lagiacrus.

 

* * *

Alistair signed her name at the bottom of the letter and slid it inside the large envelope. The precise address was already printed carefully on the front. Sealing it tightly she picked it up and took it to the mail counter. After paying the right amount for postage the clerk gave it a red priority stamp and gave her a smile.

"It will be sent out via qurupeco in a few hours and should arrive in precisely three days. No later," he explained. Alistair thanked him and headed outside of the building to the street. Being without the hatchlings was making her a lot more uncomfortable then she expected and she wanted to get back to them as soon as possible.

_Perfect. A few days and I'm already acting like a brooding wyvern over them,_ Alistair's lips twisted at the thought, but it was too late to change things now. _I just don't want to mess this up. Taking care of two rathalos is a big responsibility,_ she considered as she headed to the broad road and started walking towards the central library. Right now Akairo and Ginouji were back in her quarters with Amai watching over them.

Taking a deep breath, Alistair refocused her attention on the matter at hand as the large library came into view. It was only a few blocks down from the postal service station and had one sprawling floor above ground. However, most of the floors were underground so the cooler temperatures would keep valuable books and scrolls from being damaged. A membership card was required to access the lowest levels where the more valuable research materials were held. Thankfully Alistair had gotten one when she first came here. Most hunters shunned the library in favor of hands-on experience, but she preferred a mixed approach of book knowledge and first-hand encounters.

Walking under the colorful awning outside of the library, Alistair took out her card and went inside out of the heat. Going up to the main desk she flashed her card and nodded towards the stairs. "I'm here to do some research in the the lower levels," she explained and the clerk nodded and gave her a badge to wear around her neck as ID. Thanking her, Alistair headed to the back of the library and went down the stairway. After two flights of steps she came to a door with a security officer. After seeing her badge he nodded and opened the door to let her in.

There was plenty of lighting thanks to nova stones hanging at regular intervals. They were stones that naturally emitted light. Libraries would always use them in dark places since there was no risk of them burning precious volumes the way regular torches would.

Alistair came down here all the time, but usually to read up on a specific monster so she could have an easier time hunting it down. This time it would be different. Hopefully the usual volumes would have the information she needed. Heading down the aisles she came to the card directory. It was a counter filled with card slots so you could locate books based on author, title, or subject. Choosing 'subject' she started flipping through them until she saw the word 'intelligence''.

_Here we go._ Alistair picked up the card and read the book title's listed there. _Basic Intelligence of the Average Hunter, Advanced Intelligence for Expert Hunters,_ she kept flipping through it until finding one that looked promising. _Monster Intelligence: Inside the Mind of the Beast._ This might be what she needed. Alistair took note of the aisle and shelf number before putting the card back and closing the drawer. Heading past rows of shelves she came to the right one and quickly found what she was looking for.

Taking the massive book off the shelf, Alistair walked back and took a seat at an empty table nearby. There weren't that many people down here but she still didn't want to be disturbed while she did her research. Flipping through it she saw tons of pictures as well as a comprehensive word index and table of contents. The sheer wealth of information in this volume was pretty overwhelming and it took several minutes searching through the index to find a mention of rathalos that looked promising.

Flipping to the right page Alistair started reading through the paragraphs. It didn't take long for her to become completely absorbed in it.

_When it comes to the intelligence of the fascinating creatures most refer to simply as "monsters" it must be noted that the most intelligent ones are not always the most obvious. Elder dragons may be old and wise in matters of fooling humans and hunters, but this title does not always mean they have some kind of special intelligence. Bird wyverns are indeed highly ranked on the list. However, certain species of flying wyverns can be surprisingly advanced when it comes to matters of intelligence. For this article we will focus on some of the more familiar such as rathian and rathalos. Both are among the smartest monsters in the world._

_All colored species of rathian and rathalos are together listed among the top three smartest monsters in the world. Both of these large wyverns take the number two spot and are highly adept at puzzle solving and combat. They have an astonishing memory and have already been proven to remember individual creatures as well as humans for periods of at least 45 to 50 years which is the longest any study has been done so far. Rathalos and rathian are capable of living for at least 200 years or even more. When raised from an egg all hatchlings showed high levels of trainability as well as great communication skills both among their own kind and when it came to getting humans to understand their needs as well._

Alistair tapped her fingers on the table impatiently. Interesting, but not particularly helpful. What else did they have?

_In light of all this research great strides have been made in keeping rathian in captivity. When it comes to their male partners however, things change drastically. In all cases the natural behavior of rathalos were extremely altered by captivity once they reached the juvenile stage and began growing into adulthood. Attempts to keep them confined in any way caused serious issues. Even when egg raised all rathalos eventually became extraordinarily violent, sullen, and would refuse to eat._

_When an egg raised rathalos was allowed freedom to come and go as it pleased, however, the results were shocking. Of the 30 rathalos followed in the test only one of them left permanently and his handler later pleaded guilty to charges of abuse. In all other cases within a period of six months the Rathalos started to show a mix of both wild and tame behaviors. For the first few weeks many of them were not seen or remained in the area, but would not come when called. Males in captivity must be kept separate or they will fight each other to the death. Now that they were allowed to roam as they wished, however, almost all of them calmed down considerably, got along better, or even banded together in small bachelor groups depending on their age. Older rathalos would stake out territories nearby their release site and simply avoid other large males._

_By the middle of the second month all of the remaining rathalos had returned to their previous handlers. In each case they would unequivocally refuse to go back to their old confines or cages, but they obeyed all other commands and would leave for their wild territories when not needed and then promptly return when summoned according to methods that they were already familiar with from their training as hatchlings._

Now that was more helpful but it still made Alistair frown. That didn't match up with what she knew of wild rathalos behavior. However it did suggest that there was a possibility that at some point Ginouji and Akairo would have to be released but would likely return. That brought up a new problem though.

_Port Tanzia is going to be good while they grow up, but down the road... somehow I'm going to need a way to train them so they'll be able to distinguish between hunters and innocent citizens. They need to know how to react when in populated areas and how to protect themselves. If I can do that then it would lessen the risk not just to other people, but most of all to them. They need to be smart enough to behave properly around humans and to avoid those who might potentially harm them,_ she considered and then went back to reading.

_Many creatures once released will recognize their former handlers and allow themselves to be caressed, held, or would stay with the human partner for a time, but all were now unquestionably wild. In other cases they would return to captivity and stay there, never show any interest for returning to the wild. Never before had researchers seen a monster choose_ both **.** _Rathian seem quite content in captivity while in the case of rathalos it has clearly been seen that they must be released about midway through their juvenile years or they will become more and more dangerous to their owners._

Alistair frowned more deeply. That didn't make sense to her. Every rathalos pair that she had seen had a very deep bond. Mating for life unless one of them died. They also showed a deep attachment even to their grown children.

Flipping through the book she tried to find more information on how the study was performed but there wasn't anything more about it, only the results. She would just have to take this information with a grain of salt then.

_If rathalos are well-trained after being hatched and are shown a firm hand along with plenty of kindness growing up then they will without question return to their handlers and remain with them until the human dies. With such long lifespans rathalos always outlive their human partners unless they meet with some unfortunate accident beforehand. In some cases the rathalos would choose a mate while still with its handler even going so far as to let the human handle the tiny hatchlings._

_Few people have the resources, ability to train, or the adequate location to keep a rathalos so as a result many have ignored prior research and attempted to keep these beautiful creatures closely guarded in captivity. So many deaths and accidents in crowded civilian areas occurred that for a time they were banned from being kept by anyone. However this was revised after the Hunter's Guild lifted the ban on keeping monsters as pets or hunting partners and instituted the class system that we have today instead. In this way monsters can be regulated and more safely kept according to the experience of the hunter or civilian._

Alistair snorted at this last part as it brought up memories of the idiot that had gotten them in this mess in the first place. Still despite her suspicions as to it's accuracy it was right about one thing. Keeping a monster was a costly endeavor and could require a lot more space then most people had if you wanted to raise them properly.

Shaking her head, Alistair focused and continued her research.

_Some beasts are also unique in their ability to completely understand human speech and concepts in depth. This ability is most well researched in espinas, rathalos, rathian, qurupeco, and zinogre. Also included is the great sea leviathan lagiacrus. There are likely many others that could be added to this list in the bird wyvern category alone but they have not yet been studied in depth._

_It should be pointed out though, that aside from certain bird wyverns, only rathalos, rathian and espinas are known to be capable of imitating human speech through natural methods or simple exposure. Bird wyverns capable of speech can be quite gregarious while rathalos and rathian will normally only speak to the person they are most comfortable with. The rather passive green, white, and orange Espina's on the other hand take much delight and will even practice talking to each other but rarely to humans._

Now _that_ was surprising. Alistair certainly hadn't been expecting that. She thought rathalos were smart, but she wasn't expecting that they would actually be able to understand her that well and even talk when they got older. It was a lot to absorb in one sitting and she had already been here for longer than she should have.

_While rathalos and rathian are listed among smartest monsters in the world, the silver rathalos and gold rathian rank far higher than the other colors in puzzle solving and memory abilities. That brings us to the third smartest creature which would be zinogre or jinouga in the far eastern lands. This also includes its sub-species. It is in fact a surpringly easy creature to train and can be fully domesticated within a few generations. Even if a puppy is taken from the wild the generations bred after it are easily domesticated. Zinogre are unlikely to revolt against their owners unless the person is simply very incompetent. They are excellent in city settings and are sometimes used by Guild Knights or if a town does not have such members then they may be used by local guardian forces to help keep the peace. However it is worth mentioning that they generally grow extremely attached to one person and one person only._

_When it comes to the smartest monster in the world we come to a surprising entry. It is the leviathan known as lagiacrus. It is an extremely dangerous creature that many hunters nonetheless assume to be a rather slow-witted and dumb reptile. On the contrary, however, it has been discovered that not only are lagiacrus and their variously colored brethren intelligent they are to date the most intelligent creatures yet researched in depth. They are notorious trouble makers in captivity unless they are supplied with a steady stream of entertainment to keep their minds working creatively. They are very hard creatures to train and manage even if raised as hatchlings because they are easily smart enough to realize they are stronger and more powerful than humans._

_The only thing a lagiacrus respects is cunning and persistence. Those who are willing to keep working with these temperamental leviathans will be richly rewarded for it. It can take years of constant work and seemingly empty results, but once a lagiacrus gives its trust to someone they will never betray that person and will defend them to the death._

It went on in more detail, but Alistair had what she needed and that was all this particular section had to say about rathalos anyway. Grabbing a small request card off the table she wrote down the book title and author as well as her own name and address. Before leaving she would hand this card to the receptionist to let the library know that she wanted to purchase a personal copy of this research volume. At that time she would get a price estimate and when it came in she would get another letter in the mail telling her the final price as well as shipping fees if it came in from another city.

Standing up Alistair put the heavy book back on the shelf and made her way out.

* * *

"Oh thank all that is holy you're back!" Amai nearly threw herself at Alistair as the older hunter walked through the door. Pushing the teenager off her Alistair scowled even as the girl ignored the gesture and hugged her once again.

"Amai if you don't get off me I swear I'll let Ginouji and Akairo bite your toes off while you sleep," Alistair threatened as she once again peeled Amai off her body. Before anything else could be said Ginouji came running over wings half spread and crying as if the world itself were after him. The sound tore at her heart and the way he stopped at her feet and all but threw himself on her would have pulled on anyone's heartstrings. Crouching down Alistair had little choice but to awkwardly wrap her arms around the silver rathalos as he pushed himself up against her and buried his head in her neck. The sound of his whimpering was a pitiful one and she looked up at Amai accusingly as Akairo came running over as well and nuzzled her happily.

Throwing her arms up the teenager was quick to defend herself. "You don't know what I went through while you were gone! I seriously thought the hatchlings were going to hurt themselves! Once Akairo woke up he started worrying when he didn't see you here, but I managed to calm him down a little and get him to eat and sit down with me. When Ginouji woke up though he just got more and more frantic when he didn't see you. He even tore out a chunk of my hair when I tried to grab him!" Amai pointed to a missing piece of her hair as proof. "He hasn't eaten or had any water all day and he's just kept crying and crying for you and once he started then Akairo got worked up too and both of them were so upset..." she continued in a breathless rush.

Alistair frowned at the story, but then her expression softened when Akairo spread his wings and leaned against her back. Now if that wasn't a hug then there was no such thing in the world. _These babies are going to wrap themselves around my heart no matter what I do aren't they?_ Alistair thought with a sigh of resignation. She reached back and rubbed his bandaged neck as well. They were so happy to see her and for no reason other than that they trusted her. She was their entire world right now.

"All right, all right you two. I'm here and the world is whole again now let me stand up," Alistair chastised lightly when both of them bit at her clothes to keep her from leaving. Ginouji whimpered softly, but Alistair ran her hands over his little body to reassure him. "Oh quit it. I know you're upset but it's something you'll have to get used to. Now let's get you something to eat before you keel over from all the stress," Alistair said pulling the two rathalos off her and pointedly heading over to the where the fish had been stored. Akairo quickly perked up upon seeing that he was gong to be fed again, but Ginouji stuck close to her legs and was still visibly upset.

Amai for her part flopped down on the bed and leaned back with a groan. "Man I'm beat! I've been running around with these two all morning and most of the midday!" she whined as Alistair grabbed some fish that was already cut up and handed a bunch of it to each hatchling. Akairo snatched it and quickly started inhaling his portion with happy chirps bubbling in his throat. Ginouji took it but then just stood there staring at her with sad eyes.

Rubbing her forehead wearily Alistair sat down and invited him closer. Only then did he settle down and start eating but kept looking up at her just to be sure that she wasn't going anywhere.

_Definitely a momma's boy like Amai said,_ Alistair thought as Ginouji snuggled up next to her side. Considering the shy nature of silver rathalos it shouldn't be that much of a surprise, but she would have to spend extra time training him as he had already shown a tendency towards violence with those people he didn't like. First on the sand ship and now with Amai's hair. The latter incident may seem like a rather minor infraction in comparison to possibly killing a person, but some flying wyverns could grow at a rate several inches _a day_ during their first five years and they were already up to her knees when they lifted their heads up to their full height. Within several months they would easily be large enough to kill someone. This kind of behavior had to be curbed _now_.

"Oh by the way..." Amai popped up from the bed and scooted off. Grabbing a letter off the table she waved it around in her hand. "A guy came by with a notarized letter for you. He said an investigation was being done on that guy who tried to scam us and that and you had been granted..." she paused and read the letter out loud, "'temporary custody of two rathalos hatchlings pending further investigation,' and was required to report to the Research Institute or something so they could examine the health of the two hatchlings and add their own report as to whether you were a 'fit owner' or not," she concluded marking the air with finger quotes as she spoke.

Alistair blanched at the thought of having to get permission from her sister and her equally judgmental employees, but apparently that couldn't be avoided.

Sighing heavily, she rubbed her eyes at the thought. "We'll head over there after the hatchlings are done eating. They'll be tired and less likely to fidget and bite somebody while they're being examined. Plus I want to get this over with as soon as possible," Alistair said as she watched Ginouji tear away at his food with more enthusiasm.

Amai considered that for a moment. "True, but couldn't that also make them really cranky?" she asked curiously.

The look Alistair gave her silenced her immediately and the girl threw her arms up and flopped back down on the bed. "Fine, fine. Mother knows best, but if one of them takes another chunk of my hair out then you are paying for a new haircut," she objected firmly.

"Quit complaining and get ready. I know you're going to whine about coming along so you've better be showered and dressed for it," Alistair pointed out knowing the teenager would never allow herself to be left behind for something like this.

Letting out a loud sigh, Amai dragged herself up and shuffled off to the bathroom grumbling under her breath the whole time.

"If you're going to complain I'll leave you here."

"Yes, _mother._ "

* * *

Akairo had managed to keep his eyes open during their trip to the Research Institute, but the second they arrived and had been taken back to one of the comparatively small exam rooms he had promptly curled up at Alistair's feet and closed his eyes. Occasionally he would open them to make sure she was still there and then he would be snoring again within seconds.

Ginouji was another story. Halfway here Alistair had been forced to carry him when he kept dragging his feet and tugging at her pants insistently. Even now she was standing there holding him. The hatchling had his head buried in her neck and was now out cold. The occasional snore was the only sign of activity from him. The mushy look on Amai's face clearly said that it was cutest thing she'd ever seen, but Alistair's death glare had quickly warned her away from commenting on it.

"Well look who's up and grown a heart."

Looking up they saw a woman with long black hair. She was wearing a white coat with the institute's symbol embroidered on the sleeve.

"Wow she looks just like you only... meaner. I didn't think that was possible," Amai whispered to her as she shifted uncomfortably under the woman's cold stare. Alistair rolled her eyes at the vote of confidence and nodded to her sister. "Nice to see you too Sky," she said flatly as Ginouji shifted slightly in her arms.

Ignoring the words the woman walked over and crouched down next to Akairo. Gently touching the bandage on his neck she gave Alistair a look before removing it.

"And how did this happen? It seems to have healed nicely but you need to be more careful. They're only a few days old and you've already managed to get one hurt," Sky stated in a voice that was cold as ice.

This time Amai jumped in to defend her companion. "It's not her fault! This guy on the sand ship totally had a grudge against rathalos and nearly knocked him clean off the ship! It could have been worse and a lesser hunter might not have patched him up at all you know!" she shot back firmly. Both women turned to look her at upon hearing those words. Alistair stared at Amai in surprise as Sky flashed her an obvious "and who are _you_?" look.

"She's a... an acquaintance... and she has a good point. It would have healed just fine and you know that, but I obviously wasn't just going to let him sit there with an open wound," Alistair said with a hint of anger in her voice.

Sky pursed her lips and silently continued her examination by gently pulling out one wing and examining it followed by the other. Now the red rathalos hatchling started waking up and while groggy he still made it clear that he did not appreciate being moved around. When she continued by examining the claws on his feet Akairo jerked awake with a hiss and then paused for a moment when he saw Sky's face.

'Well hello there little one," she said with genuine kindness in her voice. Akairo wasn't fooled and immediately pulled his foot away. Scrambling to his feet he backed up and pressed himself against Alistair's legs. His eyes narrowed with great suspicion as he hissed to warn the woman away.

"So much for kind words. How they managed to latch onto a hunter as their mother I'll never know," Sky commented as her voice turned frosty once again.

"Look lady is he healthy or not?" Amai butted in as she stared down at the woman with an attitude that said she did not like her one bit.

Sky stood up and wiped some nonexistent lint off her coat and put a hand on her hip. Flipping her hair back she finally consented by saying, "I suppose he's healthy enough. Clearly a strong hatchling of good breeding." The admission didn't take into account that Alistair had been the one taking care of them so far.

Alistair took a deep breath and visibly gritted her teeth, but kept her mouth shut. After some careful thought and the research she had done at the public library earlier today, Alistair was really starting to warm up to the idea of keeping these hatchlings and raising them. However, there was the already strained relationship that existed with her sister to consider. In addition was the fierce desire Alistair had to see them flying around in the open air one day, not trapped in some oversized bird-cage or rimmed inside some so-called sanctuary.

Her thoughts were interrupted when her twin sister turned her attention to Ginouji with a sharp gleam in her eyes. Immediately getting defensive Alistair gripped him tighter as he started to wake up due to all the commotion. "He's not comfortable with anyone else. I wouldn't want you to get bit," she said by way of explanation.

Skye lifted her chin with a sneer. "Well then you'll just have to hold him still won't you? Now put him down on the table so I can examine him," she said it as an order not a request. Amai bristled but Alistair stopped her with a look. Huffing at that the younger girl crossed her arms sullenly.

Stepping around Akairo, who took the opportunity to put his "mother" between himself and Sky, Alistair carefully put Ginouji down on the cold metal table but kept her arms around him firmly. Ginouji shook himself and yawned sleepily before shifting closer to Alistair.

Leaning forward Sky began a careful visual examination by extending his wings and looking at his feet.

"You shouldn't lean over him like that. Ginouji is likely to attack you if he see's you leaning down when he wakes up," Alistair said in warning. Aside from pursing her lips, Sky ignored her twin and continued the physical examination.

At first the silver rathalos ignored her with only an irritated mumble as he buried his head in the crook of Alistair's arm. When the woman touched his neck he woke up and unlike his brother, Ginouji wasn't the least bit fooled when he saw Sky looking down at him. Not only was she staring, but Sky was still hovering less than a foot away from his face.

When the hatchling's eyes snapped open he locked his gaze with Sky who was still leaning down. His eyes contracted and his lips curled back to expose his small but needle sharp fangs. With her arms wrapped around him Alistair could feel his body coil with energy. Even still Ginouji launched himself nearly out of her arms as he lunged towards Sky's face with the clear intention of biting right into it. Or tearing it right off.

Gasping in surprise Sky jumped backwards as Alistair snatched Ginouji back and lifted his neck with her hand just in time. A millisecond later and he would have taken the woman's nose clean off.

Several long seconds ticked by before Sky finally straightened up and wiped the shocked look off her face. Taking a deep breath she adjusted her lab coat as she let it out slowly. That near attack had caught her off guard and obviously unsettled her.

Alistair hit Ginouji's nose lightly and sharply told him _no_ for what he did. The silver rathalos wasn't too bothered by the chastisement and while he fluttered his wings and huffed in resignation he didn't stop glaring at Sky.

Clearing her throat Sky adjusted her coat a second time as she regained in composure. "I do believe this is going to be a problem," she said coldly as she eyed the hatchling with new wariness.

Alistair felt her stomach turn, but she wasn't going to let this slide. Instead she lifted her chin haughtily and said, "If you had listened to me in the _first place_ it would have happened. I _told_ you to be careful. I may not have been with these hatchlings for very long, but I know them well enough to clearly see that Ginouji is..." she paused for a moment and nodded towards Amai before adding, "...in her words a 'momma's boy.' He doesn't trust anyone, like anyone, or tolerate anyone but me and next time you'd better listen if I tell you to leave him alone," she concluded sharply.

Sky shook her head. "No way. He's dangerous already and is only going to become a larger threat as he gets older. Monsters aren't people Alistair and a violent hatchling will grow into an even more violent adult. He needs to be kept here and closely monitored so that this kind of behavior can be curbed early on," she said walking over to the door and grabbing a folder that was sitting in a box next to it.

Amai immediately stepped in as Akairo looked back and forth between the arguing parties.

"That's only if the owner is irresponsible! Even a lagiacrus can be tamed if the person handling it can train it properly isn't that right?" Amai demanded and when Sky frowned she pressed her advantage. "Look at Akairo! He's Ginouji's brother and he's not nearly as violent. I bet with some time and training his traits would rub off. Ginouji just needs consistent training and he's intelligent enough to learn the right and wrong way to act around other people and monsters. Alistair's firm personality is just the right type to deal with him. Even though you did accuse her of being a bit cold and... okay well I can't really disagree on that one so far..." she paused for a moment but hurried up when Alistair narrowed her eyes at her.

"Anyway the point is that Alistair doesn't take no for an answer. She's already used to teaching younger hunters so she knows how to be patient and consistent, but also firm. You haven't even given her a chance to train him and you're already coming up with ways to take him away! If you think he's violent now after just being woken up then how do you think Ginouji will feel if you take him away from Alistair? That's a personal grudge he'll _never_ let go of," Amai concluded breathlessly.

Sky hummed and looked down at Akairo who hissed at her and promptly ducked back behind Alistair's legs. Looking up to Ginouji she watched as he bowed his head and bared his fangs at her. Sighing she lifted the folder and tapped it with a finger in warning. "You have custody of the red rathalos, but _temporary_ custody of the silver hatchling only. I _will_ have a researcher checking up on you regularly and you will send reports back here addressed to me personally every week at the beginning of the week. Express. If you go out of town then I will contact the research center in that area and inform them of the situation so they can send out someone to monitor the situation," she said warningly.

Alistair resisted the urge to roll her eyes and instead focused her attention on getting Ginouji to settle down. When she started rubbing his neck he finally stopped glaring at Sky and twisted his head back to look up at her.

"That's enough from you. You're going to learn how to behave," she said sharply and he turned slightly and rested his head against her chest with eyes filled with pure innocence. "And don't give me that 'but I'm so cute' look either," Alistair added stone-faced and Ginouji snorted loudly and turned away in an obvious pout. Even Sky's lips twitched up slightly at the sight of them interacting.

Alistair barely managed to hide a satisfied smile and instead said, "We're heading to Port Tanzia in a few days. They have a Research Institute there as well so I'll be sure to be a good girl and make sure no one gets their fingers bitten off," she tossed the last part in with unabashed pleasure and received a dark look in return.

Sky pointed a finger at her warningly. "Don't think this lets you off the hook sister. I'm going to be watching you and going through those reports with a fine tooth comb. As a Hunter you know to be specific and if I feel they aren't up to standard then there _will_ be consequences you understand me?" she said without the slightest trace of amusement. "Believe it or not I am actually trying to do what's best. Our job is to learn more about monsters and if necessary to keep them under close watch in order to protect them and keep humans from getting hurt," she added but her words fell on deaf ears.

This was an argument they had been through dozens of times before. Sky felt hunters were only killing monsters for money and sport. Alistair tried telling her twin that wasn't the case and that the world was filled with creatures that needed to be handled efficiently so helpless citizens didn't get hurt or killed. In some cases entire towns had been destroyed and crops that could have fed thousands were destroyed, trampled, or burned down because of rampaging monsters. It was Hunters like Alistair who kept that from happening or provided aid and supported the local guardian or peace keeping forces after it did. Too bad Sky didn't see it that way.

Taking a deep breath Alistair went to put Ginouji down on the floor but then thought better of it when she saw him glaring at Sky again.

"Whatever, Sky. We'll see you later," Alistair said as she picked Ginouji up in her arms and walked out of the room. Akairo hurried along beside Amai and threw a few glances over his shoulder to make sure the other woman wasn't following.

Shaking her head Sky turned and went back to see to some other creatures.

* * *

 


	5. New Arrivals

 

* * *

Port Tanzia was a huge commercial center and a great tourist destination as well. Right now a young woman with short dirty blonde hair was sitting under some palm trees not far from the boardwalk. Beyond the boardwalk was the tropical forest along with nature trails for all the tourists and locals to walk along. Beautiful beach, beautiful waves, plenty of people enjoying the water and the food stalls along the boardwalk. Another beautiful perfect day for the locals and tourists.

_Well not so perfect for him,_ Rain thought with great amusement as she watched the nervous mail carrier pick his way across the sand. The problem wasn't her so much as it was the two massive lagiacrus sprawled across the sand next to her.

One was the most common blue color while the other was the rarer white subspecies officially known as an Ivory Lagiacrus. Rain had discovered three eggs as a little girl and since her father was a marine biologist he allowed her to keep them and helped her raise the dangerous leviathans. The sole female of the group, Shurika, had returned to the wild and would only come when Rain was alone or there were very few people around. The two males, however, would come right up and follow her around the beach or through bigger areas of the city if she let them and then return to the ocean when they needed to hunt.

Sakala was the blue lagiacrus, while Seiva was the white one. Both were lounging next to her and Sakala practically had his head on her lap. Of the three leviathans that Rain had raised he was definitely the friendliest and loved a nice caress. He was the only one that could be considered tame on any level. The others didn't mind attention from her but they had little tolerance for strangers who got too close to them or to Rain.

"Ummm, h-hello m-ma'aam?" the mail carrier squeaked nervously as they stood a fair distance away. Still both lagiacrus opened their eyes and lifted their heads to stare back at the approaching stranger. Immediately Seiva hissed and slapped his tail sending sand flying everywhere in warning. Lagiacrus as a rule were never very friendly except to their handlers and even then it was iffy sometimes.

"Seiva enough," Rain said holding up her hand. He rumbled and kept his eyes on the mail carrier but she knew he understood perfectly and wouldn't threaten him any more unless he got closer. Standing up she decided to take pity on the poor worker and walked over to see what he wanted. Quickly the man handed her a letter and scampered off to safety.

Satisfied Seiva lowered his head and hovered over Rain's shoulder as she opened the envelope and read the letter. Seconds later Sakala did the same. They weren't smart enough to read, but they could understand human speech and both were curious to see what was going on.

Waving them back, Rain held the letter away from them.

"Shoo! This isn't for you!" she scowled as Seiva ignored her and merely stretched a little farther to sniff it. When moving it around failed to dissuade them she finally sighed in defeat. "It's from Alistair all right? You remember her don't you?" Rain asked and Seiva settled back in satisfaction. Alistair was the only person besides Rain that he actually liked. Sakala, however, narrowed his eyes and dropped his jaw in what she recognized as a teasing grin.

Rain quickly explained, "Apparently Alistair and another friend need a place to stay for a while because she's has run into a problem after her latest quest and needs a place to raise some little hatchlings," she pointed a finger at Sakala when the all too familiar look of amusement on his face intensified. Now Seiva started looking at her sideways as well. "That's _it._ So stop giving me those suspicious looks already," Rain fired back in a firm tone.

Seiva snorted and narrowed his eyes to clearly show he didn't believe a word of that.

"Fine don't believe me. Now I actually have work to do. I have to pick up some equipment at the shop first so if you want to come then meet me over at the ship," Rain told them and Sakala bobbed his head and headed towards the water. Seiva seemed more inclined to stay on the beach soaking up the sun, but after a moment he too slid down to the water as well.

_Time to get back to salvaging. Then I have to get the house ready for when Alistair comes. She should be here any day,_ Rain thought with a happy smile. Folding the letter she stuck it in her back pocket and hurried back to the shop.

* * *

Alistair twitched and woke up to find two rathalos hatchlings curled up with her. She was laying on her side and Ginouji had his head snuggled under her chin, while Akairo was sleeping in back of her legs with his head resting on her thigh.

"Awww, you guys look so cute together!" a voice that could only belong to Amai squealed happily.

_Please someone let me kill her. It's too early for this,_ Alistair growled at the thought and pulled enough of the blanket away from Ginouji to drag it over her head. "Buzz off," she mumbled before closing her eyes. If the hatchlings with their boundless energy were still sleeping then there was no good excuse for her being awake either. She could feel Ginouji shift closer to her before letting out a content sigh.

Alistair tried fiercely to ignore the sound of Amai coming closer to her. That plan was thwarted however when the covers were peeled back and the teen's smiling face appeared far too closely.

Feeling her hands twitch with the desire to cause physical harm, Alistair nonetheless resisted the feeling and instead snatched her cover back before adding, "Come back in three hours when I'm awake."

Not to be deterred, Amai poked her shoulder stubbornly. "Come on its been five days already! It's Friday and you've already picked up that book you ordered so there's no need to stay here any longer. Your sister cleared us for travel to Port Tanzia—not that we needed her permission anyway—and we have enough food to last the babies until we get to the coast. We even got tickets booked on the next air ship out of here as well as passes for the hatchlings to board on a train in Morden so we can be at the Port in a few days instead of the week or so it would take if we were traveling nonstop by cart," Amai was talking down to her like she was a child.

Alistair reluctantly lifted her head and stared at the girl for a moment before deciding that some more sleep was worth the temporary indignity.

"Have fun flying alone then," she mumbled the words even as she tried to bury herself back in the comfortable pillow.

"ALISTAIR!"

" _Fine!_ You never shut up do you?" Alistair complained as she finally threw the cover back covering Ginouji in the process. Not bothering to get up the Silver Rathalos instead merely flopped over into the warm spot Alistair had just sat up from and continued sleeping. Akairo put up more of a fuss when he felt himself being pushed out of the way. It wasn't until Alistair physically picked him up and moved him aside that the red hatchling finally snorted and started thrashing around to get up.

"Ow! Geez, if you had gotten up in the first place this wouldn't be happening," Alistair mumbled as Akairo yawned mightily and gave her a sleepy, but still irritated look before dragging himself to his feet and going over to his brother. Moments later they were cuddling together in a jumble of wings and legs. Rolling her eyes Alistair reluctantly stood up and pushed a cheery Amai out of her way.

"Don't you have something more productive to do? Go pack the bags or something," Alistair said running her hands through her hair tiredly. She had pulled it back in a braid last night but it was still annoying. Maybe she'd get it cut when they got to Port Tanzia.

Shaking her head Amai followed her around the room as she got dressed. "Nope. Already went back to my place and got the supplies I wanted to bring along and packed them along with my clothes and personal items. Food for us and the hatchlings is ready as well. Dropped my spare weapons and armor off so they won't get stolen. You already dropped all of yours off except for your switch axe and current armor so all you have left to do is pack whatever clothes and hunting items you want to bring," she said happily.

Blinking slowly Alistair looked at the luggage sitting around the room and realized the girl was right. Grunting she made a face and flipped her braid back over her shoulder.

"Whatever. I need caffeine. Get me some white cactus tea from the tavern around the corner would you? And the sweetest iced pastry they have at the bakery. No, on second thought grab as many as they can fit in a medium-sized box. I'm going to need the energy," Alistair explained picking up her zeni pouch and tossing it back to the teenager. Amai opened her mouth in shock at being handed so much money. Normally Alistair would just about take her fingers off just for the _suggestion_ that she let Amai borrow a few coins.

Quickly Alistair stopped her with a wave of her hand. Sighing heavily she said, "Just get out of here before I wake up and regain some type of sense."

"Yes ma'am!" Amai skipped, literally _skipped_ out of the room and through the door.

A small chirp made Alistair turn around to see both of the hatchlings watching her curiously.

"It should be illegal to wake up that happy in the morning. Remember that when you get older."

Ginouji cooed softly as if in agreement as Akairo yawned and stretched his wings.

* * *

After much poking and prodding Amai had finally gotten Alistair moving and now they were on the air ship. All their luggage had been moved on to the ship. It was basically a massive blimp, so there wasn't a whole lot of room. The quarters they had been given were barely big enough to turn around in, but aside from the sand ships it was the best way in and out of the desert. In other parts of the country they had better air ships that ran using more advanced types of power as well as trains but here in the desert it was better just to use the wind.

At the moment they were in the main lounge along with the few other passengers. They had chosen some chairs off in a corner near the windows so they could relax without Ginouji and Akairo being disturbed too much by the other passengers. Besides being around a crowd of people staring at her had quickly started to make Alistair anxious to the point where she had to leave to a quiet corner before she had a panic attack.

Right now Alistair was savoring the last of her tea, eating some pastries, and trying to calm her nerves. The hatchlings had already been fed and now they were chasing each other around the couches happily playing. All of them were getting plenty of curious looks, but Ginouji's hissing and Alistair's dirty looks had kept anyone from coming closer.

"How long is this gonna take? I mean we've got two rathalos babies to look after and they aren't just going to play tag all morning," Amai blurted out. Frankly Alistair was surprised that she had managed to keep quiet this long.

Rolling her eyes, Alistair swallowed the last of her tea before replying, "By early tomorrow morning we'll be over the hills rimming the desert beyond Loc Lac. After we're past those we'll land at about mid morning at the station in Morden Village and board a train that will take us to Port Tanzia using high powered rail. That will take us about nine hours or so by tomorrow night we should be at the coast," Alistair said as Akairo came beside her and sniffed her hand curiously.

Tearing a piece of her pastry off, Alistair handed it to him and Akairo eagerly snatched it and swallowed it down before squeaking happily and unabashedly begging for more. Ginouji also came over to see what the fuss was about, but when she did the same the silver rathalos merely turned up his nose and went back to the window. He wasn't actually tall enough to look out of it yet without assistance, but that hadn't stopped him from trying.

"Fine be that way," Alistair said handing the scrap to Akairo who fluttered his wings happily at the new treat.

Amai watched the scene with her head in her hands. Smiling she asked, "How do powered rails work around here? Back home there were a lot of valleys and hills so the train stations usually were inside mountains or started in caves. There they had khezu and their electricity was used to keep the generator charged and the generator would power the metal tracks. Crystals were placed at regular intervals to keep the charge constantly flowing in one direction. They would reverse the flow later when the train was scheduled to return," Amai finished as she reached over and grabbed a doughnut from the box Alistair was trying to hog.

Ignoring the thievery, Alistair thought for a moment. "I'm pretty sure they use rajang here and then in Port Tanzia they use Crimson Qurupeco since those are native to the tropics anyway. Experienced hunters live full-time at the station taking care of the few rajang that live in Morden Villiage there since they can be so difficult to manage," she explained watching as Ginouji continued his attempts to reach the window sill. Alistair trailed off and watched Ginouji as he stomped around in frustration.

After a moment Ginouji looked around and spotted a short wooden stool sitting off unused. He stared at it and then looked back up to the window not far above his head. The stool was small enough for him to climb up on, but big enough to allow him to see out of the window if he was standing on it. Running up to it Ginouji stared for a moment longer before urgently calling his brother over. Hurrying to his side Akairo watched as Ginouji pulled it and then lifted his head and chirped to his brother.

Akairo bobbed his head in understanding and went to the other side. Together they worked to move the stool closer to the window. Once it was there Ginouji struggled a bit to climb up until Akairo got there and pushed him up from behind. Once he was on top of the stool Ginouji cooed with fascination and fluttered his wings as he stared out at the passing clouds. Seconds later he hopped down to let Akairo up so he could look around.

Amai smiled at the sight. "Awww that's so cute! It's good to see them getting along! I know plenty of baby monsters would be at each others throats by now instead of helping each other out," she paused for a moment and looked around to make sure no one was listening. "Do you think maybe Ginouji is more protective of his brother? I mean back on the sand ship he didn't bother that guy until after he attacked Akairo..." she hinted and Alistair frowned slightly and thought about that.

"I don't know. I've heard that captive ones can fight but I'm not sure how they do in the wild," Alistair said thoughtfully. "Like I said I don't remember who said it so it may or may not be true. I'm not sure how much being in captivity changes their normal behavior," she added letting out a short whistle.

Immediately both hatchlings turned around to see what that noise was. Alistair whistled again and patted her leg. "Ginouji, Akairo come here." Immediately both of them scampered back to her side. It had been over a week since they hatched and they were starting to get used to the sound of their names and coming when called.

"See? Learning already. That was very good," Alistair congratulated them both with a gentle caress which they accepted with shivers of delight. She continued to pet them as she continued, "They need to know and understand that there will be consequences to their actions whether they are positive or negative. As they get older they need to know the difference between hunters who can be avoided or fought if necessary and civilians who are innocent and should not be harmed in any way."

Looking up Alistair added, "Also when they hear someone call their name it should be associated with something positive," She waited until Amai nodded before standing up and looking down at the hatchlings who were starting to get excited. "We can work on that last one now, but everything else will have to wait until they start getting older. So until then its time to start getting you two trained again," Alistair addressed the last part to the two rathalos at her feet.

Staying put when commanded and coming without hesitation when called was extremely important. Especially since Alistair and Amai were hunters. There were going to be poachers, black market workers, and even shady hunters who might try to take Akairo and Ginouji away or outright steal them. Alistair needed to know that they would do exactly what she said when she said it. That kind of discipline would be invaluable when they got older. What if they got angry and turned on someone? Training them now could mean life or death for someone later on.

"Okay you two. Lets get to work."

* * *

Keeping two baby rathalos entertained for so long while in a confined area was proving to be quite a challenge. While Ginouji did have an insatiable curiosity for the most part he was more interested in what Alistair was doing. The silver hatchling would imitate _everything_ that she did whether it was trying to put on her spare clothes when she got dressed, peering over her arm when she was reading, or playing around in the water while she took a shower.

Akairo, however, was more interested in finding something to play with. When he wasn't playing with his brother he was biting, chewing, or tearing something else up. Thankfully Amai had created a thick rope toy for him and tied bells onto it so it would chime whenever it moved. That had kept him fascinated so far and now he wouldn't go anywhere without dragging it along. He was also getting along better with Amai unlike Ginouji who still barely tolerated her presence.

_At least he hasn't bit or otherwise attacked anybody else yet,_ Alistair considered as she kept a careful eye on the babies who were currently playing tug-of-war with Akairo's new toy. They had a private room to sleep in last night, but now she and Amai were sitting at a bench one of the main wagons with their luggage stored overhead. Ginouji and Akairo were playing around in the aisle much to the amusement of the other passengers who were greatly enjoying the sight while keeping a safe distance. They were used to the fierce and dangerous flying wyverns who blew fireballs at them on the road, not the cute and adorable ones playing in front of them right now. Alistair had gone to the train conductor ahead of time and informed him that the other passengers should keep their distance for their own safety and thankfully he had complied and made a firm announcement to the other riders. Not all of them listened, but Amai had been good at keeping any rule breakers away.

Keeping the two rathalos fed was also proving to be a challenge. They were eating more than she initially expected and the big supply of smoked fish they had brought along was almost completely exhausted.

_We'll be in Port Tanzia any minute now so we'll be able to get more food at the market there,_ Alistair thought. As if on cue the train started to slow down as station markers slid past the windows. Closing the research book she had purchased from the library, Alistair put it in her bag and buttoned it shut before standing up and slinging it over her shoulder. Amai whistled to Ginouji and Akairo and both paused for a brief moment before ignoring her.

"Awww come on guys! We were doing so well!" Amai objected plaintively as Alistair smirked mockingly.

"No, you and Akairo were doing well. Ginouji is still a momma's boy all the way," Alistair said with the utmost satisfaction as Amai scowled at that comment. Flushing she ignored the remark and silently grabbed her luggage and bags instead as the train continued to slow down more and began coming to a full stop.

Alistair grabbed her own luggage and opened one large duffel bag to grab two harnesses. As a hunter she was used to doing minor repairs on damaged armor or weapons so creating the harnesses hadn't been that much of a challenge. All the straps had been taken from some leftover Popo hide that Alistair had from a few quests she had done up in the snowy tundra. It was actually Amai that suggested using popo hide. Alistair was planning on just using some smooth delex hide. The girl then went chattering on about how she had been born in the cold northern tundra and their native tribe hunted and used popo all the time so Alistair just let her take over.

_Of course I could tell just from her white, almost silver, hair that she must be from one of the native tribes up in the northern mountains. Just like he was._ Alistair took a deep breath and stopped those thoughts before they could begin. Those memories weren't something she wanted to revisit. Not now when she was already stressed out enough as it was.

Shaking her head, Alistair steadied her nerves as she crouched down and the hatchlings came running over. Ginouji didn't like the harness at all and kept fidgeting and biting at the leash the entire time. Once she was done with him she moved onto Akairo who rubbed his head against her arm and raised his wings as she tightened the straps just enough to keep him from slipping out.

Slipping the duffel bag over her left shoulder, Alistair grabbed her largest bag of luggage in her left hand and the leashes in the other. "Okay you two let's get going," Alistair said and Akairo followed along happily while Ginouji mumbled under his breath and bit at the leash the minute she turned her back to him.

Amai followed along behind weighed down by her own luggage. As a new hunter she didn't own much in the way of hunting supplies or even personal items so instead of putting it in storage and asking to have it shipped to Port Tanzia later she had just gone ahead and brought most of it along. It was a decision she was clearly starting to regret now that she was struggling to drag all of her bags along.

They were only a few feet from the door so thankfully they were able to get there before everyone else. No need to take the risk of someone stepping on or otherwise agitating the two baby rathalos. The train attendants thanked them for riding and punched their train tickets before ushering them towards the exit ramps.

It took some maneuvering on Alistair's part to get her bags as well as Ginouji and Akairo through the rather small train door without dropping anything or losing the leashes, but she managed to do it without incident. After reaching the bottom of the ramp she moved off to the side so she would be out of the way and looked around for her best friend, Rain.

It didn't take long to spot the woman standing just beyond the train terminal waving her hands like crazy. Her blonde hair was still short and spiky like Alistair remembered and she was wearing her usual tank top and beach shorts.

"There she is over there..." Alistair stopped as a loud crash came from behind her. She turned around to see that Amai had tripped over her bags and had face-planted on the floor as a result. The teenager flushed with embarrassment and quickly struggled to her feet dropping another bag in the process.

Ginouji and Akairo quickly skittered away as Amai finally regained her balance and got all her luggage sorted out. "Oops. Sorry about that," Amai said sheepishly as she sorted herself out.

Rolling her eyes, Alistair nodded towards the loading area past the train terminals. "Hurry up already. It's already dark and I want to get settled in as quickly as possible," she said before taking off with the rathalos hatchlings hurrying alongside.

They made it over across to the first terminal when a Crimson Qurupeco and its handler walked by. The large bird paused for a moment and chirped curiously as it leaned forward to examine Akairo and Ginouji. Both of them tensed up but did stand their ground as the qurupeco sniffed them over for several seconds before ruffling its feathers in apparent satisfaction and continuing on its way with its handler. Apparently Akairo was proud of himself and puffed himself up as if he had single-handedly fought the beast off. Ginouji seemed more fascinated than anything and kept turning back to stare at it as Alistair gently tugged on their harness to get them moving again.

When they reached the loading area, Alistair put her luggage down as Rain came running over. She did it just in time too as the woman all but knocked her to the ground as she gave Alistair a bear hug.

"Easy! Careful there, Rain!" Alistair objected even as smile broke out across her face. Both Ginouji and Akairo hissed and backed away from the strange woman, unsure of how to react to her.

The other woman pulled back with a smirk and put a hand on her hip. "I leave you alone for a few months and you come back with a teenager and two baby rathalos at your side and here I thought you didn't like people," Rain asked ducking out of the way as Alistair scowled at her.

"I'm the same age as you. Her quest team abandoned her so I joined up to keep her from getting killed. It was an egg hunt mission," Alistair corrected as Rain held up her hands.

"Hey! Just asking..." Rain added with a wink and quickly sidestepped her friend when she saw Alistair open her mouth to reply.

"So what's your name? Alistair complained about you in her letter and to be honest I'm surprised she let you come at all. I figured she'd leave you to fend for yourself the minute the quest was over like she usually does with all the newbies these days. Alistair may be a great teacher when it comes to helping out other hunters, but anything outside of that and you're on your own," Rain said as she looked Amai over with a critical eye.

Scoffing loudly, Alistair crossed her arms and said, "And you're any better?"

"Details, details. Besides we're not talking about me we're talking about you," Rain said throwing a wink over her shoulder.

"Umm, my name is Amai. Nice to meet you," Amai said holding out her hand politely. Rain looked her up and down with a critical eye.

"Don't go getting cozy just yet. Alistair is my best friend, but you're a stranger here. So don't consider me a friend just yet," Rain said in warning. Amai bristled slightly, but Alistair stepped in front of her.

"Don't forget. You _wanted_ to come here. You'd better toughen up or you'll end up getting your feelings hurt quite a bit," Alistair said before looking down at the hatchlings who were looking up at her uneasily.

"It's okay. This is Rain, she's my best friend so be nice to her, understand?" she said as Rain threw an arm around her friend's shoulders. When Ginouji started to narrow his eyes and fan his wings in obvious irritation, Alistair frowned at him warningly.

" _Be nice,_ " she chastised. Alistair had started saying that in a firm tone whenever Ginouji started acting up. Sniffing at that the Silver Rathalos stopped his posturing and looked away. Akairo on the other hand took that to mean that Rain was okay and he walked up to her slowly and curiously sniffed her bare toes.

"See? We're going to get along just fine. Now let's get back to my place and we can talk more there," Rain said as she grabbed a few bags from Amai. She smirked at the teenager before adding, "A hunter only takes as much as they need when traveling. Nothing extra. You need to learn how to make more items and buy less." With that she turned around and walked away with one bag of luggage in hand and the other over her shoulder.

Amai glared at the woman's back but swallowed her words when she saw Alistair watching her.

"Let's go we're wasting time," Alistair said before heading off after her friend with both Rathalos walking along with her. Ginouji occasionally biting at the leash as usual.

"I should have just stayed in Loc Lac and taken my chances," Amai mumbled under her breath and hefted her remaining bags before following after the older hunters.

* * *

 

 


	6. History Lesson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter we get to learn a bit more about Alistair's past

 

* * *

Alistair leaned back against the kitchen counter and watched the hatchlings play tug-of-war with the toy Amai had made for Akairo. All of her bags were unpacked already and the guest room she was in was right next to Rain's while the one Amai was in was just down the hallway. Due to the volume of things she had brought with her, Amai was still in her new room unpacking and putting things away.

Turning around Alistair watched Rain as she put a mixture of milk and fruit juice on the stove to heat up.

"Thanks again for letting us stay here. I knew you and Storm had moved into a new house but I had no idea it was so big," Alistair commented, referring Rain's older brother as she looked around at the open style house. Although mansion might be a better term. The windows had wide shutters that allowed the cool ocean breeze to flow through the house. Parts of the floor were wood, but others were made up a smooth stone that had a heating system running under it. It provided plenty of warmth in the colder winter months. Rain had promised to give them the grand tour tomorrow when they were rested up, but right now she was making her specialty drink and catching up with Alistair.

Looking over her shoulder, Rain grinned and said, "When you're one of the best treasure hunters on the entire coast line you can afford a few luxuries here and there. Storm and I decided to customize and build our own house as well as take the time to build a better boat." Pausing for a moment she stirred the pot with a wooden spoon. "Besides you have to know what is worth pulling up and what isn't. Just because it's pretty or came off an old boat that doesn't mean it's worth anything," she added opening a drawer and pulling out a bar of chocolate. "Here cut this up for me would you?" Rain asked grabbing a knife and cutting board and handing it to Alistair.

Nodding, Alistair glanced over at the hatchlings to make sure they weren't getting into any trouble and then went to work cutting up the chocolate bar.

"So you go out hunting for treasure while Storm stays on the boat? I thought he wasn't afraid of diving anymore. You two have been working off a boat practically since you were born," Alistair commented with a raised eyebrow. With a shrug of her shoulders Rain grabbed a bigger piece of chocolate from off the cutting board and popped it into her mouth.

"Hey don't look at me. I keep saying my lagiacrus won't let him drown or get hurt but he always waves it off," Rain commented as she grabbed some of the smaller pieces Alistair had cut up and dumped them into the pot along with the milk and fruit juice. Stirring it together, Rain changed the subject.

"So how have you been? Raising two hatchlings of any kind doesn't seem like you. I know you really don't like getting attached," Rain asked carefully and waited patiently when Alistair paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. After a moment Alistair shrugged and looked away.

"I couldn't let my sister take them because they'd just end up in some over-sized cage or sanctuary being prodded and tested all their lives. Loc Lac is also filled with exiled hunters who wouldn't think twice about stealing them and selling them both on the black market where they would end up being used in cage or colosseum matches," Alistair said with a frown. She finished chopping the rest of the chocolate bar and handed it all to Rain who mixed it into the pot.

Humming at that Rain let the silence hang as she finished cooking everything. Grabbing two glazed mugs that were sitting on the counter she poured the steaming chocolate and fruit drink into them and handed one to Alistair who took her mug with a nod of gratitude.

After another moment Alistair said, "I just... I wanted to leave them behind. I really did but... they reminded me too much of Barius." She swallowed hard and shook her head. "I may not have raised him or trained that barioth myself, but he still meant a lot to me and in the end he got himself killed trying to..." she paused bitterly and didn't finish the sentence. She _did not_ like reminiscing about what happened at that time in her past.

Shaking her head, Alistair drank some of her hot chocolate to soothe her nerves. "I just couldn't leave them behind," Alistair concluded as Ginouji and Akairo came skittering across the floor to her. Apparently play time was now over. Both of them ran around Alistair's legs and looked up at her with happy chirps. At least until Rain crouched down to get a better look at them. Immediately Ginouji hissed and pressed up against Alistair's leg warily. Akairo wavered back and forth hesitantly before looking up at Alistair who nodded.

"Go on she won't hurt you," she said pushing him away with her foot. Akairo turned back to Rain with more confidence and took a few steps closer even allowing her to scratch his chin. Evidently that did the trick because the red Rathalos hatchling cooed and shivered happily when she stopped and stood back up.

"What about you?" Rain directed the question to Ginouji who openly glared at her and sniffed before pointedly looking away. "Man, Alistair when you said in your letter that the silver one was a momma's boy I thought you were exaggerating!" she chuckled as Ginouji turned to face the other way and curled himself around Alistair's feet. Akairo went up and prodded his brother's back with his nose only to receive a wing smack in the face for his efforts. Squealing in surprise, Akairo grumbled angrily and stomped off to explore the kitchen on his own.

Alistair rolled her eyes at the two babies and changed the subject. "I want to start training them as quickly as possible. Seiva and Sakala will be a big help with that because I doubt Ginouji is really going to listen to, or respect, anyone other then me. At least not without some persuasion and I want them to listen to you if there's ever an emergency," she added looking down at the baby rathalos who was still stubbornly coiled around her feet. Rain took a long drink from her mug as she considered that.

"But Ginouji might listen to me if he see's two monsters far bigger then himself listening to me. Is that what you're thinking? I mean have either of them ever seen a lagiacrus before? Or any monster that big?" Rain asked curiously and Alistair shook her head.

"They saw a qurupeco at the train station, but that's about it. Hopefully the sight of such giant creatures will help Ginouji realize that he's not the baddest monster around," Alistair added again looking down at the silver rathalos who persisted in his attempts to ignore Rain. "You little man need to learn some manners and respect," she said and Ginouji looked up at her and tilted his head with a curious gurgle.

Rain downed the rest of her drink and put the mug in the sink nearby. Leaning forward, she put her elbows on the counter and rested her chin in her palms while she stared at Alistair. Seeing her friend's intense look Alistair pursed her lips and looked away, merely taking another sip of her drink in an attempt to ignore the not so subtle probing. However, after several seconds of staring on Rain's part, she cracked.

"What! Stop looking at me like that!" Alistair growled and upon hearing her tone Ginouji immediately stood up and hissed at Rain for making his "mother" upset. Akairo had been busy trying to open one of the wooden drawers within his reach, but now came running back to see what the problem was.

"See what you did? You've got them both upset now," Alistair said putting her mug on the counter. Crouching down she put one hand on Akairo's head to assure him that things were fine. With the other she reached around to pull Ginouji back since he was in full stalking mode and apparently dead set on biting Rain in whatever region he could reach. Rain glanced down at the hatchlings who despite their much smaller size seemed convinced that they alone were capable of protecting their mother from this woman who had insulted her. Looking back up her lips pulled down into a frown.

"Alistair... you can't let that girl Amai follow along at your heels just because she reminds you of... of what might have been," Rain stopped and didn't go any further than that. There was no need to. Alistair knew just who she was talking about. Straightening up, Rain ran a hand through her short spiky hair. "Look. You know I've always been straight with out. Amai has clearly got nowhere better to go otherwise she would be there instead of here. If you plan to let the girl stay then you need to step up and give her some better guidance and support. Otherwise send her home. If she keeps going on like this without help she could get herself seriously hurt or even killed," she didn't bother to mince words.

Alistair grimaced and kept her gaze on the floor.

"You think I don't know that? I just... the last time someone depended on me to protect them they died. I don't want that responsibility again, but I can't in good conscience just abandon her either. Her or these rathalos," Alistair said softly as the hatchlings finally settled down and curled closer to her body. Both hatchlings nuzzled her affectionately. Satisfied that they weren't going to try and bite her friend anymore Alistair stood up and finished off the rest of her drink. No one else could make hot chocolate quite like this and its taste reminded her of much better times.

Rain sighed and walked around the island in the center of the kitchen until she was next to Alistair. She glared right back at the baby rathalos when they started grumbling softly at her. Reaching over she put a hand on Alistair's shoulder comfortingly. The woman stiffened at the touch, but then relaxed when Rain started to massage her shoulders.

"Hey, I don't blame you for being upset. I was right there with you in that hospital, Alistair. I remember very clearly how bad it was. But that was then and this is now and you _don't_ need to be Amai's constant guardian. Not for her and not for these hatchlings either, at least not forever. What you need to do is train them so that they won't have to depend on anyone else for protection," Rain said gently as Alistair's shivered and closed her eyes.

Nodding slowly, Alistair rubbed her arms and chewed her bottom lip with worry. Rain was the only friend she had left and the only person she could really open up to anymore. She was the only one who had been there during the very worst time of her life. Sighing heavily, Alistair finally turned around and gave a weak smile.

"Thanks, Rain. For everything," she said gratefully. Rain stopped and wrapped her arms around Alistair from behind in a hug.

"You can do this, Alistair. I know that and you don't have to do it alone. I'm right here with out okay?" Rain promised. Alistair nodded, not trusting her voice at the moment.

Letting go, Rain backed up and looked down at the hatchlings who were starting to get antsy again and said, "We need to focus on tomorrow. Getting up early and establishing a routine would be best." When Alistair frowned and pursed her lips, Rain held up a finger to stop any objections before they could start. "Hey don't give me that look. I'm not a morning person either. These guys will be growing like weeds once we get them on a proper diet and we don't want them biting someone's hand off because they had a temper tantrum," she added and both of them looked down at Ginouji. It took a minute before he realized he was being stared at. Looking up he immediately hissed at Rain who in turn gave Alistair a very pointed 'see I told you so' look.

Ignoring her, Alistair nodded towards the hallway. "Fine, whatever. Bright and early. Now if we're done here then I'm going to go take a shower and get some much needed rest," she said using her feet to nudge the hatchlings until they stood up. Ginouji glared at Rain who put her hands on her hips.

"Give me the evil eye all you want, but tomorrow you are mine and I will be showing you the benefits of obedience," Rain said and the Silver Rathalos sniffed and hurried off after Alistair as she headed down the hallway, throwing glances over his shoulder every once in a while.

* * *

Feeling very refreshed and satisfied, Alistair finished tying her hair into a braid as she walked out of the shower and down towards her room. Both rathalos had insisted on running around and playing in the water by her feet as Alistair took a shower so she had to spend extra time drying them both off as well. Akairo's neck bandage had been thoroughly soaked but his neck was healed enough already that she just took it off. Babies healed remarkably quickly after all. Now Alistair's body was starting to feel the exhaustion from the past few days of travel and was begging for a real bed to lie in. Before collapsing in bed there was one more thing that needed to be taken care of, however.

Alistair stopped just outside of Amai's room, the hatchlings dancing in and around her legs. Thinking for a moment she finally said, "I know you were eavesdropping on us, Amai."

Slowly Amai creeped out from around the door frame and gave the older woman a sheepish look. "Well... it's not like you were bothering to hide anything and there was no way for me not to..." she fumbled around trying to explain but Alistair silenced her with a look. Facing her, Alistair took a deep breath and let it out with a heavy sigh.

"I'm only going to tell you this once and I'm not going to repeat myself. I won't answer any questions so you'll just have to be satisfied with whatever you get. So just listen or you'll never hear the entire story later on understand?" Alistair said sharply and the young woman nodded quickly and pursed her lips. Still she eyed Amai for a few seconds to make sure she wasn't going to interrupt. Satisfied Alistair shifted slightly and looked away uncomfortably.

"Four years ago I was living in the cold northern region of Zystae which is a mining city in the shadow of Mount Hanze; the largest active volcano near the tundra border," Alistair began and then shot Amai a glare when her eye's lit up with recognition. Blushing Amai remained silent and waved for her to go on. "Yes, I know you've probably heard all about it and what happened there. My husband and I had been married for two years and were expecting our first child when we received news that a gravios had been spotted dangerously close to the city. As you may know gravios is one of the largest and most dangerous wyverns yet discovered. This one was a few months into adulthood and had already been marked as extremely dangerous. Apparently a much older adult had driven it away from its territory and the course it was on would bring it right to the city," Alistair said as Amai's eye's shot up in surprise the minute she mentioned a husband and baby.

"We were childhood friends if you must know," Alistair added upon seeing that the teenager was dying for more information. "Anyway I was about seven and a half months pregnant at the time. The city council wanted to hire some hunters to kill it. We've had some experience with them before due to the rich mineral filled soil underneath the city. Gravios just can't resist it so a few have had to be killed before. However it was decided that killing it would upset the local ecology too much. So the council voted to try and chase it away or trap it instead. My..." now Alistair stopped as the memories flooded back. She took a moment to clear her throat before she continued. "My husband was part of the team that went out. Unfortunately even a young gravios is more than a match for even an experienced hunter. After several hours of fighting and chasing they finally weakened it to the point where it started limping off," Alistair stopped and swallowed back her tears.

Composing herself she went on, "At least they assumed they had driven it off for good. The gravios may have been comparatively young but it wasn't stupid and they are notoriously vengeful. It tracked them from a distance that night and charged right into the city. My husband... my husband was killed when he stayed behind and tried to draw its attention away from a civilian family. The gravios saw him all right and he was caught by its lava beam. If you get a direct hit from one...," Alistair paused for a moment and looked down. "I'm just glad he didn't have to suffer," she finished instead.

"I was on my way back from the market when it attacked. I saw my husband killed and then it came the rest of the way into the city destroying and burning down everything in its way. The entire western half of Zystae was gone in less than an hour. I was hurt when it charged by and demolished the building I was standing next to. Broke my shoulder and one of my legs. I couldn't move but it had continued its rampage anyway. So many civilians were trapped in their homes or killed in the fires it started. Some of our best monster hunters had already been sent out to stop it and had been killed in the gravios initial surprise attack. The rest were out on missions and never got back in time. Those that remained were torn between fighting the gravios and protecting the civilians," Alistair stopped and shook her head at the memories.

"Buildings could be rebuilt. Human lives could not. The hunters and held it off as best they could as the rest of the city guard evacuated people as quickly as possible. There was a small allotment of Guild Knights stationed in town and they joined the regular hunters in helping to stop the gravios. Thousands still ended up dying in the attack due to its charging and fire attacks. Then in the days that followed many more died from the poison gas it released, but the gravios wasn't looking to destroy the entire city. Once it had cleared out the western block and some of the central and southern area it stopped. It had killed the hunters who first went after it and now it was claiming a new territory. That's just what basarios and bravios do. When they claim a new territory they raze everything and either kill or drive away any other creatures in the area. It needs certain minerals to survive so as long as it has that it's not worried about other living creatures," Alistair said and was distracted by the hatchlings nudging her legs insistently. They were hungry and needed to eat again before bed. With a full belly they would sleep all the way until dawn.

Sighing Alistair rubbed her neck and said, "That's part of what happened at least. I'm too tired to think about the rest right now. Rain and I are going to start training the hatchlings tomorrow so if you want to come then you'd better wake up because I am not your personal alarm." She snapped it out and immediately regretted it. Amai wasn't to blame for her bad memories or the problems she still had because of what happened. It wasn't fair to bite back at her like that.

Thankfully, Amai didn't seem too bothered by it. Instead she just rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to say something but then stopped and gave Alistair a sympathetic look before opened her arms. Glaring, Alistair pointedly stepped back out of range. Feeling bad for what she said didn't mean she was going to start giving out hugs. Well not to anyone other then Rain that is.

"Touch me and I swear you'll never live to see to see adulthood," she warned as Ginouji flapped his wings and hissed at Amai in response to his mother's irritation. Akairo narrowed his eyes in suspicion also.

"Hey I was just going to give you a hug! Aren't we friends?" Amai asked looking hurt.

"No." Alistair stated firmly before turning around and walking right past her towards the kitchen. There was nothing wrong with Amai, but she didn't want to get too close to her either. _I already have Rain, I don't need or want any more friends then that. Besides I highly doubt that Amai is going to stick around for more then a few months and I don't want her to stay longer then that either. I'll be her teacher, but nothing else,_ Alistair considered as she headed towards the cooling box. Opening it she pulled out a wrapped packaged of smoked fish. Closing the door with her foot, Alistair turned around and set the package on the counter and started to unwrap it.

Tanzia Port was a big enough city that the larger houses could be equipped with electricity if you were willing to pay enough money for it to be done. It was enough for ceiling fans and cooling boxes or freezers to keep food cold. Although freezers were basically just cooling boxes lined with ice that had been imported. Giant windmills, and water wheels both produced electricity although those were more recent inventions that had been set up in about five major cities across this continent. Thunderbugs had been used much longer for electricity while flashbugs were used to produce light in those homes where the flame of a lantern was too risky to use. Novacrystals could also be used since they glowed naturally, but they were extremely hard and it took special mining tools to work them out of the stone. Sure they could be purchased, but that was an investment that most of the lower class citizens couldn't afford. Most people either caught flashbugs if they lived in the appropriate area or they bought cheap light crystals at the market. They weren't nearly as bright as novacrystals, but there were less expensive.

_Now the fish we catch can be saved for a couple days instead of just being smoked or salted,_ Alistair considered as she grabbed two clay platters and piled the smoked fish up on each one. Akairo and Ginouji were already started to cry with impatient hunger.

"I hear you, I hear you," she muttered as both of them nudged her legs insistently. Finally finished sorting out their meal she picked up one platter sheet and put it down on the floor next to her for Akairo. Holding back Ginouji with one foot she straightened up and grabbed the other one and put it down on her other side. Happy chirps were soon bubbling up from their throats as the hatchlings ate to their hearts content. Being here like this reminded Alistair of her life back in Zystae.

There were plenty of things she hadn't told Amai and she didn't plan on doing so just yet either. One of those things was Barius the pet barioth her husband had. Once Alistair got pregnant it had become extremely protective of her and would always come along when she had to go out somewhere. So when the gravios attacked the city that day it had immediately jumped in to try and protect her. Naturally it was no match for the much larger monster and his broken body laid next to Alistair for nearly three days with him slowly dying until rescue crews finally removed the rubble surrounding her and pulled her out. By then it was too late for him. After that Alistair had sworn that she would never have another pet again, but life didn't always give her a choice it seemed.

Looking down at her feet Alistair watched Ginouji and Akairo as they tore into their food. Two of the world's most magnificent creatures were standing next to her. One of which was a Silver Rathalos a creature that was relegated to the realm of myth and fairy tales just a few decades ago. Very little was known about them or where their color came from. There were plenty of people who would kill to get their hands on him. She would have to be extra careful about who saw him and that would become a harder and harder task as Ginouji grew up.

Tomorrow their training would begin.

* * *

Rain slipped a large fishing knife out of the sheath on her right hip and used it to spear a piece of mosswine meat that was sitting in a bucket at her feet. Whatever wariness the hatchlings had last night had vanished at the first sight of food. Alistair watched curiously as as Rain began her demonstration. Amai was there too, but had spent most of her time so far yawning and trying to stay awake. It was two hours past dawn and the hatchlings training had just started.

They were in the back area of the house sitting on wooden patio with a thatched reed roof. The patio extended into a covered walkway that partially extended along the banks of a large lake. It had rivers branching off and leading back through the tropical jungle and down to the beach or winding through the trees and into the nearby swamps. This area was where Rain's lagiacrus', Seiva and Sakala, came whenever she needed them or when they just wanted a calm place to rest. Right now they were out hunting for their breakfast, but they should be coming back any minute now.

There were several yards of sandy beachline between the patio where Amai was futilely trying to stay awake and the water's edge where Rain and Alistair were standing. Akairo and Ginouji had initially been heading in a beeline for the water so they could play but had quickly been distracted by the bucket of food that Rain had at her side.

Slowly Rain waved the piece of meat back and forth. Satisfied that she had everyone's attention she continued.

"I know you've grown up around monsters Alistair, but this is the first time you've actually had to train one yourself right?" Rain asked and Alistair nodded.

"My father had a diablos and there were other creatures we used on our farm as a child, but I never trained any of them myself or had any part in it," Alistair admitted.

"A farm? I thought you lived in the mountains up north," Amai asked perking up suddenly at those words.

Turning around Alistair frowned at her and said, "I wasn't always a jaded and widowed hunter. I _did_ have a rather normal childhood I'll have you know," her acidic tone of voice immediately cut off any more questions that Amai might have had.

Rolling her eyes at the two of them, Rain whistled to get their attention once again. "Eyes back here class," she said as Alistair crossed her arms impatiently. Ignoring her, Rain got on with it.

"First and most basic lesson. When feeding your monster whether carnivore or herbivore you need to be able to do so without loosing any pieces of your body in the process. Primarily your fingers," Rain pointed out this fact by grabbing the meat with her left hand and slicing a sliver of it off with her right. When she handed it to Akairo his head darted out and he snapped it up without hesitation. "See? He may be small but those teeth are needle sharp and can easily take the tips of your fingers off," she added giving Ginouji a piece as well he too snatched it up but he did it more carefully than his brother did.

"With carnivores you can feed them by hand when they're young, but as they get older it's best that you avoid this because many of them are still considered wild monsters, not domesticated ones. So once these guys are big enough your objective will just be for them to wait patiently while you prepare their food instead of snapping your neck and just taking it from you," Rain said cutting the rest of the mosswine meat into small chunks and dropping them into the bucket one by one.

"Now you try it Alistair. Don't give them anything until they take it slowly and carefully," Rain said as Alistair reached down and picked up two small chunks of meat. Crouching down she held the food out of reach as the two Rathalos hatchlings scurried around her chirping with insistent hunger.

"Back up," Alistair said firmly and both of them reluctantly took a few steps back. A baby monster that didn't know how to sit still when told was just going to grow up into a bigger monster that was uncontrollable. She may not have trained a monster before, but that didn't mean she was completely ignorant. While Alistair may not have trained any creatures personally she did hear plenty of second hand information from her father and husband as well as her own research into different monsters before she went out on every hunt. 

"Most of this stuff is common sense and working with a monster's natural instincts and behavior right?" she asked and Rain nodded as both hatchlings stood in one place with shifting feet and fluttering wings. Rain glanced over across the water before turning back and putting hand on her friend's shoulder.

"You have a lot of knowledge about monsters and the best ways to hunt and kill them quickly with the least amount of pain and trauma possible. You also have some good ideas about training them as well," Rain admitted in a positive tone, "But what you don't have is first-hand experience in raising and training one. Which is why I'm here to help guide you," she added and Alistair nodded and to the meat from Rain's hand and held it out to Akairo. When he darted his head out to grab it she pulled it back.

"No! Be gentle!" Alistair said sharply. Akairo blinked and squeaked in surprise. When she handed it to him again he did the exact same thing. Once again Alistair pulled it back and his jaws snapped shut like a steel trap. Huffing with frustration he tried just grabbing it from her hand only to receive a sharp slap on the nose. Not enough to hurt, but it did startle him. Confused Akairo settled back and whimpered giving his mother a pitiful look. Unmoved Alistair simply gave him a stony look in return. Frustrated that his ploy didn't work, Akairo hissed and stomped his feet just like a temperamental child.

Ginouji had watched the whole thing and whistled to his twin brother. Akairo looked over at him and the Silver Rathalos lowered his head and mimicked biting something quickly and hissed along with a shake of his head. Then he did it again more slowly and gently. Blinking slowly Akairo looked back at Alistair and then at his brother. Cooing gentle encouragement Ginouji walked over and nudged his brother forward.

Eyeing Alistair suspiciously Akairo tried again, but this time he moved forward slowly keeping his eyes on her. When he was close to her hand he slowly opened his mouth and gently grabbed it. For a moment he just stood there waiting for her to grab it back. When she didn't move Akairo pulled it out of her hand and let it drop to the ground. Staring at it he looked up to check if it was okay.

"Go on. Eat it," Alistair said and Akairo chirped happily and tore into it with great relish. "And here you go Ginouji. You get extra for showing your brother how its done," she added giving the silver hatchling two chunks of meat. Unlike his sibling's first clumsy attempts, he took both pieces gently from her fingers and started eating it with relish.

Rain stepped closer and watched with interest as both hatchlings ate. "I've heard reports that Silver Rathalos are more intelligent then their red or azure counterparts but I wasn't sure how much faith to put in those reports until now," she said as both of them finished and looked up at Alistair for more food. "They learned that quickly, but let's try it a couple more times to emphasize the point," Rain offered and Alistair nodded and grabbed some more meat out of the bucket. After two tries Akairo tried to snap at it, but quickly learned that behavior would not be tolerated and didn't try it again. Ginouji on the other hand was a perfect little angel the entire time even licking Alistair's fingers at one point.

"Awww, now come on that is cute!" Amai cooed from her spot in the shade as Ginouji nuzzled against Alistair's hand affectionately. Rolling her eyes the older woman smiled nonetheless. A loud splash caught their attention and upon looking up they saw two large shapes moving across the lake towards them.

Rain shaded her eyes and smiled broadly before saying, "There they are! First off we have introductions. Then its time for swimming lessons. We don't need your hatchlings getting themselves killed because they don't realize they can float in the water." Taking off her sandals she tossed them behind her into the sand and ran into the water. Diving in she swam out farther as two lagiacrus heads lifted up from the surface.

"Whoa!" Amai shouted as the two leviathans circled Rain and bumped their noses against her.

"Something wrong? Come on in ladies the waters fine!" Rain shouted as Amai's face went white. Shaking her head fervently the teenager instead pulled her feet up onto the wooden deck even though the lagiacrus were still nowhere near her.

"No thanks I'll... I'll just let you two handle this part," Amai said hesitantly as Sakala the normal blue colored lagiacrus surged forward through the water and slithered up onto the beach. Unfortunately for her his head swung right past Alistair and straight towards her. Letting out a startled squeak she leaned back as he began to examine her; first sniffing her feet and then slowly going up her body.

Meanwhile, Rain was in the water holding onto Seiva's back spikes as he swam around the lake in languid circles.

"Oh come on you're not afraid of one little monster are you?" Rain shouted with obvious amusement as Amai froze. She was clearly too afraid to move and also too afraid to sit there while Sakala satisfied his curiosity. Finally he turned away from her.

"You'd better sleep with one eye open tonight!" Amai shouted back at her while the woman laughed hysterically at the look on her face. It would have come off better, though, if Amai's voice didn't crack in the middle of the sentence. Even Alistair seemed amused by the teenager's reaction.

"Just relax, Amai. Sakala was only saying hello. A different one would have bit your legs clean off," Alistair said with a smile as he gently bumped her shoulder in greeting before lifting his head.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better? Because if so then it's not working," Amai stated sourly as Seiva finally swam over and walked up onto the bank. She held her breath as he looked over and gave Amai a long look, but Seiva didn't seem particularly impressed by what he saw. With a loud snort he dismissed the girl and glanced over at Alistair. A small head bob was the only greeting he gave before lowering his head so he could look at the rathalos hatchlings more closely.

Ginouji immediately skittered backwards and pressed against Alistair's legs with wide eyes. Akairo shrank down against the sand, but ultimately held his ground as Seiva cocked his head to the side slightly to get a better look at him. Sakala too lowered his head and sniffed Ginouji with great interest. Akairo could barely tolerate one lagiacrus, the sight of two less than a foot in front of him was more than he could take and with a terrified squeak he promptly lost control of his bladder. Turning around he ran straight towards the patio, jumped up onto the wooden deck, and dove behind Amai for protection who started giggling nervously.

Poor Ginouji shivered but then took a deep breath and inched away from Alistair's legs as if one of the great monsters would devour him at any second. When several seconds passed without him being eaten or otherwise mauled to death the silver hatchling got up more courage and took a small step forward. Another few seconds passed and Ginouji leaned forward until his nose bumped up against Seiva's. With a small squeak he lowered his head and flapped his wings in a hesitant greeting. Apparently Seiva was satisfied with that and bumped Ginouji right back with his snout. It was a relatively gentle move but still hard enough to knock the little hatchling over.

Rain laughed as she waded out of the lake and shook the water from her hair.

"Well I take it they've said hello?" she asked as Sakala turned and curled his head around her. It might seem like a show of affection at first but the hiss he gave Ginouji made his message clear: _this one is mine._

Ginouji snapped out of his shocked daze and circled himself around Alistair's legs. Growing bolder he hissed right back at the lagiacrus. Seeing this Akairo also growled as well, but did it from the safety of Amai's shoulder. Giving an amused snort at their behavior, Seiva turned his attention to the bucket of meat that was still sitting there half full. Grabbing it in his jaws he tossed it back and swallowed the rest in one gulp leaving none for anybody else.

Rain let out a cry of protest and the ivory lagiacrus merely tossed the bucket back at her head in response. Catching it she stared at it for a second before scowling at him. Seiva merely yawned and began sniffing around for more. Even Ginouji huffed at the sight of all that food disappearing, but he was smart enough not to be too loud or obvious about it.

"Greedy guts," Rain muttered as she dropped the bucket into the sand and wiped her hands off on her shorts. "Well if you two are done with the introductions and being troublemakers then can we get started on this?" she asked looked up at the two leviathans. Seeing as there was no more food in the area Seiva sighed and gave a grunt to show he was ready.

Alistair merely rolled her eyes and shouted for Akairo to get back over to her. The red hatchling gave Seiva and Sakala a wide berth and hurried back over to his "mother" who gave him a gentle pat on the neck to reassure him.

It was time for swimming lessons.

* * *

Amai watched from the shade of the patio as Alistair tried to coax Ginouji and Akairo into the water. Farther out in the water Rain was sitting on Sakala's back as he swam around in lazy formations. There were plenty of questions that she wanted to ask about what happened last night, but she also knew that if she wasn't patient then Alistair wouldn't hesitate to come through on her promise not to tell her anything else. Frustrated, Amai crossed her legs and arms and watched as Akairo finally waded out into the water with Alistair using her hands to support him. Ginouji fidgeted back and forth in the sand but refused to enter the water. Alistair was a bit of a mystery that's for sure, but Amai never would have guessed that she was married before.

_I guess she lost the baby..._ Amai chewed her bottom lip and she couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Alistair's husband was dead, she had apparently lost her baby, she wasn't on good terms with her sister, and there was no telling whether she still spoke to her parents or if they were still alive. _No wonder she tries so hard to keep other people away. Not that she's entirely successful at it,_ Amai considered. The woman seemed like the type of person that knew tons of people, but wasn't emotionally close to any of them.

But then there was Rain. There was something about the way the other woman looked at Alistair that made Amai suspicious and they still hadn't met Rain's brother Storm. Sighing Amai shook her head and tried not to think about it. There was enough going on already and she was more or less and uninvited guest here. She needed to find a way to make herself useful before she got kicked out.


	7. Sink or Swim

 

* * *

Even though Alistair had her hands under his body to support him, Akairo still had his wings spread out as far as they would go. Occasionally he would kick out his legs, but he kept his wings as stiff as possible. It was as if he thought moving them would send him sinking like a stone into the lake. Laughing at the sight, Alistair pulled him along through the water talking softly to him the entire time. Well as gently as she knew how at least.

"See? No need to worry. I'm not gonna let you drown," Alistair said as Akairo finally got up the courage to lift his head higher and look around. Rain was still off playing with Sakala who seemed rather happy towing her around the middle of the lake. Akairo looked over at him and then back at Alistair. He tried swishing his tail back and forth just like the male lagiacrus was doing.

Smiling Alistair moved him back towards the water's edge. Close enough for him to put his feet down in the sand, but still deep enough for him to be able to float if he took another step or two back in her direction. "Okay now little guy it's time to show you how to float on your own," Alistair said backing up. Right away Akairo flapped his wings in protest sending water splashing up around him, but his mother remained just out of reach. If he wanted to reach her then he would have to move farther into the water.

While most bird wyverns had lighter bodies and hollow bones that allowed them to fly Rathalos were solid and much heavier. Autopsies on some that had died of natural causes revealed a second and very complex respiratory system of tubes and tiny air sacs running through their bodies and wings much like the lymphatic system in humans. Running through it was a strange mixture of hydrogen, methane, and ammonia all gases that were lighter than air. Hydrogen was the lightest, but was prone to catching fire. Ammonia was a bit heavier but had a much higher boiling point. While methane did not leak out through the walls of the respiratory tubes and sacs. Researcher still weren't sure how they all managed to mix together, but this system was very extensive and gave flying wyverns like rathalos and rathian far greater buoyancy then was first assumed. Alistair had read about it at the library back in Loc Lac once before going out to capture a Pink Rathian with an injured wing.

_They definitely deserve the title King of the Skies,_ Alistair thought motioning for Akairo to come towards her. Ginouji was still standing a safe distance away from the water watching with great interest to see what happened next before he tried anything himself.

Finally Akairo took a step farther into the water and then another one. The water was now up to his neck. At his third step the water was deep enough that he lifted off the sand and began floating. Surprisingly well actually. Scared by the sudden feeling of having nothing underneath him Akairo began to struggle which naturally resulted in him slipping deeper into the water.

Moving forward Alistair grabbed him and supported him until he calmed down. Once he settled down she slowly removed one hand allowing Akairo to partially float on his own. This time he took the sensation a bit more comfortably. After all his mother would surely never let anything bad happen to him right?

Just as Alistair thought, his second respiratory system while certainly not intended to help a rathalos swim still did a perfect job of keeping the hatchling afloat. Slowly Alistair let her hand drop from under him, slowly enough that Akairo could feel himself sinking. Whimpering slightly he flapped his wings and slipped under the water, but the second he stopped he quickly popped back up to the surface where he floated there with his head up. Surprised he tried it again and sank under the water before going still and popping back up. This was enough for Akairo to figure out that he wasn't going to sink unless he was flailing about. Kicking his feet he even propelled himself forward a few inches and back into Alistair's arms with great satisfaction.

Chirping with great happiness, Akairo fluttered his wings and splashed water everywhere. Swishing his tail back and forth he managed to start spinning himself in circles too. Back at the water's edge Ginouji called out to his brother who whistled back with obvious encouragement. Ginouji however, took to the water far more enthusiastically upon seeing Akairo float. The silver hatchling ran straight into the water and propelled himself a few feet forward before he stopped and let himself float around with such a smug look on his face that Alistair laughed at him.

"You've always got to one up your brother don't you?" Alistair asked as both hatchlings splashed water everywhere. Seiva had been looking around for more food, but upon finding none he now turned back and swam over towards the hatchlings. He let out a snort of surprise as he watched the two rathalos splash around in the water.

Rain laughed from her place on Sakala's back. "Not used to seeing monsters like them in the water are you big guy?" she asked and Seiva shook his head and floated closer to them with obvious curiosity. "These little ones are staying here with us until they get big and strong. So if you help them out now then maybe they'll do the same thing for you when they grow up," Rain suggested and while Sakala didn't seem very keen on that idea, Seiva tilted his head in consideration before dipping his head under the water and bringing it back up underneath the two Rathalos.

Akairo squeaked in surprise upon finding himself standing on top of the creature who had scared him so badly before. Ginouji however decided to use his new perch as an opportunity to show off that he wasn't afraid of the bigger monsters. After peering over into the lagiacrus calm eyes the Silver Rathalos gathered himself up and jumped off Seiva's head and into the water which was less than a foot away. Popping back up he flapped his wings before climbing back up onto Seiva's head, using the larger monster's lower jaw as a step stool. Not to be outdone Akairo puffed himself up and also jumped off into the water, but he didn't seem as eager to put himself anywhere near the lagiacrus' mouth again.

Alistair rolled her eyes and whistled to catch their attention. As expected they both looked over to see what their mom wanted.

"Okay you two can float, but now you need to learn how to swim. Just floating around in the middle of a lake isn't going to help if you get stuck somewhere without me or anyone else to help you," Alistair said primarily to herself. She turned and swam over towards Rain and Sakala who were farther out in the water. Akairo was already in the water, but Ginouji jumped down as well. Too bad neither one of them could do much more than spin around in circles or move a few inches in either direction. Once she was sure she had their attention Alistair turned and swam over to Rain and Sakala. She brought her arms forward and then back around to her sides in broad strokes while kicking her feet. Once she reached the blue lagiacrus she turned around and came back using the same technique.

Akairo looked confused, but Ginouji's eyes were bright and he seemed more than ready. When Alistair stopped and motioned for them to come to her, Ginouji spread his wings as far as he could and moved them just like he had seen his mother do a few short moments ago. While they weren't intended for swimming, his wings still made rather effective paddles and helped move the Silver Rathalos through the water with ease. Alistair wasn't going to make it easy for him though. Moving backwards she forced Ginouji to keep paddling towards her until her back bumped up against Sakala's side and she was forced to stop. Chirping happily the baby rathalos swam up into her arms and happily snuggled right into her neck.

Leaning forward to look down at them Rain grinned, "Awww now that is just adorable! And you be nice Sakala. These two sticking around for a while so I'm going to need your help teaching them, okay?" she insisted when the blue lagiacrus narrowed his eyes at the baby. He still didn't seem happy about the idea so Rain patted his side and added, "Don't worry, you and Seiva are still the only monsters for me and no squealing infant is ever going to replace you in my heart," she assured him and Seiva seemed pleased by that and swished his tail through the water happily.

Irritated at seeing his brother get all the attention, Akairo quickly used the same technique to swim over to Alistair who grabbed him and pulled him closer before he could nip at Ginouji in an effort to get him to move.

"Settle down you little brats. There's enough of me for both of you," Alistair chastised as Ginouji nuzzled her again causing Akairo to growl and struggle in his mom's arms. "Oh for the love of..." she grumbled and looked up at Rain for help. Taking pity on her friend Rain leaned down and picked up Akairo against his will. He still wasn't totally comfortable with people other than his mom. Ignoring his squealing protests she put him down on the lagiacrus back and reached back down as Alistair lifted Ginouji up to her.

The Silver Rathalos tried to lean away, but Rain ignored his reluctance put him down on her other side. After he was released Ginouji hissed and snapped at Rain as he retreated to a safer distance.

"Thanks, Rain. I think that's enough swimming practice for now. Let's feed these two, put them down for a nap, and then hit the town and do some shopping. It's been far too long since I bought something other than new pieces of armor to wear," Alistair said as she glanced over at the walkway. Evidently the struggle to stay awake had finally been lost and Amai was now fast asleep. Alistair was about to climb up on Sakala's back when a grin broke out across her face. Turning to Seiva she whistled for his attention and the white lagiacrus turned towards her.

"Seiva it seems that Amai has fallen asleep. Why don't you go help her wake up?" Alistair suggested and Seiva hissed with pleasure as he understood her tone. Dipping his head down he swallowed a bunch of water and silently slid forward through the water and up on the sandy shore. When he was just a few inches from Amai he rocked back slightly and spit the water out of his mouth like a geyser.

Screaming Amai nearly jumped out of her skin as Rain nearly fell off Sakala's back from laughter. Even Alistair was grinning as the baby Rathalos watched and cooed with interest.

Amai struggled to wake up and when she had finally stood up the first thing she saw was Seiva whirling around and diving back into the water and swimming away.

"ALISTAIR!" Amai screamed in fury as the woman burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry Amai but I just couldn't resist..." she tried to explain, but Amai was already wringing out her soaked clothing and stomping away back into the house furiously. Rain tried to say something but simply cracked up with laughter again and clutched her stomach as she tried to breathe. The two rathalos weren't entirely sure what just happened, but they did know their mother was happy and that was more than enough to get them excited and wound up.

Sakala, however, did not share his brother Seiva's more complacent attitude toward the new babies and rumbled in warning as he shook his back. Catching her breath Rain coughed and relented. The lagiacrus was more people friendly then his brother, but when it came to other monsters he could be less than welcoming.

"Okay, okay it get it. Let us off at the edge of the water and we're done for the day," Rain asked and Sakala swam over to the water's edge and waited just long enough for Alistair to get both rathalos hatchlings off his back before growling and backing up. Before he could leave Rain gave the lagiacrus a pat on the neck. "I promise we'll go for a swim tonight. Just the two of us," she told him and that seemed to appease Sakala. Turning around he dove into the water and swam away. Seiva had already left just after giving Amai her rude awakening.

Rain walked over to a small chest and opened up the front. Pulling out two towels she handed one to Alistair who started to dry off Ginouji's body and wings. Akairo tried to slide away from Rain, but she hooked an arm around the hatchling and pulled him back towards her. He looked over at his mother hoping for a rescue from this strange woman, but received a sharp look in return instead. Grumbling he settled down and stayed put as Rain dried him off.

When they were done, Rain grabbed the towels and tossed them into a metal bin over by a couple of chairs. Opening the door, Rain gestured grandly.

"After you _mom,_ " she said with a wink. Alistair stuck her tongue out at her best friend childsihly as she walked by with baby rathalos at her heels.

"Yeah, enjoy that while you can because these little ones are gonna be bigger then you in no time," Alistair warned, but Rain ignored her and followed inside, sliding the door closed behind her.

* * *

After feeding Ginouji and Akairo their breakfast Alistair had put them down on the rug in her new room for a nap. Both rathalos had almost immediately curled up around each other and gone to sleep. It had taken a lot of convincing to get Amai to agree to stay behind and watch over them especially after the panic they'd gone through last time. Besides Amai was still angry at both of them for letting Seiva play that trick on her earlier and getting her clothes all wet. Finally the teenager agreed to watch over the hatchlings, but only after Alistair agreed to bring her a something back from one of the shops. Before they left though Alistair did have to borrow some nice casual clothes from Rain. All the ones she had were more for lounging around after a quest then going out on the town.

Locking the door Rain whirled the keys around her finger before slipping the long chain around her neck.

"Ready to go?" Rain asked looking Alistair up and down. "Hmm, not as beautiful as me but I suppose that's to be expected. One can never fully imitate greatness after all," she added with a grin before putting on a pair of blue-tinted sunglasses and walking off down the pathway towards the town.

"I'm not even going to comment on that," Alistair grunted as she shook her head and followed along beside her friend. Looking back behind her at the house she added, "So where is Storm anyway?" She was referring to Rain's brother. While he may not be a social butterfly he would at least pop in a few times for some conversation or to catch up on things whenever Alistair was around.

Rain glanced over and said, "Oh, he's out helping some rookie hunters. They wanted an experienced treasure hunter to show them where the best red coral stones were. He should be back in a couple of days though, but until then I'm free to run the shop however I want." Rubbing her hands together eagerly she wiggled her eyebrows at Alistair who cracked a smile in return.

One thing Rain loved most was antiques and odd pieces of treasure or machinery from sunken boats. She cleaned them up and sold them to private owners or occasionally donated them to collections. Storm preferred rocks, minerals, coral, or other natural items that could be sold as is to interested tourists and locals or fashioned into jewelry, bracelets, charms, or other types of accessories.

"You know sometimes I think it's a miracle you two manage to work together at all. I mean at least Storm sells almost everything he pulls up. You on the other hand hate letting go of anything. Your part of the shop looks like a nargacuga when whirling through it. At least it did before. I haven't seen the new shop yet," Alistair mentioned critically and Rain made a face and crossed her arms.

"Fine be critical then. I'll just keep those special harnesses I was going to give you as a gift for your rathalos hatchlings..." Rain trailed off and was about to walk away when Alistair grabbed her arm and pulled her friend back.

"Oh no you don't troublemaker. I want to see this," Alistair said as Rain turned around with a smirk.

"So now you're interested? Well if you _insist_ then I _suppose_ I could show you the result of all my hard labor and sacrifice and sweat and blood and..." Rain started dramatically but Alistair cut her off.

"Give it a rest. You're dying to show me what you made and you've probably been bouncing around with excitement ever since you picked us up. I'm surprised you haven't thrown them at me already," she said and this time her friend actually blushed a little.

"Well so what if I did? I got excited when I heard you were coming, okay? Now hurry up! I can't wait to show you what I made!" Rain said with eager fidgeting as she urged Alistair to pick up the pace.

They walked down the main street and down a few side alleys before coming to _Storm Surge_ the shop Rain and her brother owned. Even from the outside Alistair could see that her friends had upgraded big time since her last trip here. Instead of a small crowded shop tucked away in a corner of Tanzia Port they now had a sprawling two-story building. Once they went inside Alistair could see that they now had a lot more floor and shelf space too. Well sort of. There was stuff _everywhere_.

Noticing the look she was getting Rain said, "It's not cluttered it's controlled chaos."

"More like exploded chaos," Alistair countered.

Rain flipped the lights on and waved a hand around at the sprawling building. "Welcome to my place of business! Everything is for sale but only if you have pockets deep enough," she winked at Alistair who rolled her eyes and gave Rain's shoulder a push. It _was_ a beautiful place one had to admit. There were so many different and unique items that it was like being in a museum almost. Alistair was about to take a step forward when Rain slapped her hand out and stopped her. Holding up her index finger Rain grinned like a kid in a candy store.

"Stay right here and don't move an inch. Not one," Rain insisted as she started to inch backwards hands out as if to stop her friend from charging off. Crossing her arms Alistair frowned deeply at her. "Oh come on! Just stay there... and close your eyes," she added looking sheepish at the slight scowl she got in return. "Please? Pretty please? I really want this to be a surprise!" Rain asked putting her hands together in an earnest plea. Sighing slightly Alistair covered her eyes with one hand.

"Fine but you'd better hurry up because I'm not going to stand around like this forever," Alistair warned as Rain scampered off through the store. A couple minutes later Rain hurried back over and stopped in front of Alistair.

"Okay now you can open your eyes," Rain said and Alistair did so and glanced down at the box Rain was holding out a little suspiciously. "Come on go ahead! Don't let all my hard work be for nothing!" Rain urged when Alistair hesitated. Ignoring that prodding Alistair still waited a second before carefully lifting the top of the box off.

Inside were two harnesses. One was a light silver-blue color while the other was a deep red. Both had metal identification tags attached to them on what looked like the chest area. Both tags were hand tempered with the names Ginouji and Akairo in elegant script.

Alistair opened her mouth and then closed it again.

"Both of them are made from lagiacrus scales that were then hand dyed. Lagiacrus replace all of their scales twice a year and it's a huge event around here. Of course I know three of them personally so it was easy to get some. They're soft enough not to chafe but strong enough to handle whatever trouble your little ones get themselves into. I designed both harnesses so that they can be lengthened or have longer pieces added onto them. Sure they'll have to be replaced eventually, but they should last for quite a while," Rain said watching her best friend's face very closely for a reaction. "I also had your name, Hunter ID, and my address stamped onto the back of the straps just behind the metal name tags so if the hatchlings get lost or something then it will be obvious they're not wild and they can be returned," Rain added as Alistair set the top of the box down and gently fingered the red harness and then the silver-blue one.

"I... Rain... these are so perfect," Alistair said as she picked them up and turned them around to look at them. Sure she had cobbled together her own harnesses and leashes, but those couldn't even begin to approach Rain's craftsmanship and talent. Looking up she stared at her friend who was waiting with baited breath to see how her gift was received. "When did you start? I mean these scales were obviously all hand stitched recently and the same with the dye. It must have taken you hours to do this!" She looked back down at the harnesses and then up again at her best friend. Now Rain blushed and looked away mumbling something under her breath, but Alistair wasn't letting her go that easily.

"Rain how long did this take? I mean under ordinary circumstances this would have to take a week or more to finish wouldn't it?" Alistair pushed her and Rain fidgeted and spoke louder this time.

"Well I wanted to have it done and ready for when you arrived so I started working on them as soon as I got your letter. I had plenty of individual scales so while they were being dyed I drew up a design and then stitched the scales together when they were finished. I had the metal tags pressed and then added them last and..." Rain rambled on but stopped when Alistair gave her a look. "I had to work on them all day and night until you arrived, but it was worth it... wasn't it?" Rain asked with a hopeful look. Despite their teasing and bickering they were very close and she was always ready to help Alistair in whatever way she could. They had quite a history after all.

Alistair seemed speechless. Finally she looked up and gave her best friend a strong hug. "You idiot. You never know when to quit do you?" she said before pulling back. Grabbing the top she put it back on the box before taking the entire package from Rain. "I love this. This is certainly better than those harnesses I came up with. You'll have to show me how they work after we get done shopping," Alistair said with a smile. "Thank you. I really do appreciate the work you put into these," she added.

"But you're still gonna make me get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning to start showing your babies how to stay safe and explore the surrounding area aren't you?"

"Be up bright and early sunshine."

"I hate you."

"You love me."

"Try me. No extra sugar in your tea tomorrow," Rain huffed still grimacing at the thought of getting up early get again. If there was one thing she liked it was her beauty sleep. Sure she'd been ready to get up early today, but that was practically a once in a lifetime occurrence for her. After all she was treasure hunter. If there was something to be discovered then it could just as easily be found a few hours later when the sun was higher up in the sky.

Alistair smirked and slid the package under her arm. "Come now, we have some shopping to do so I hope you brought your wallet," she added before turning and heading for the door. Rain's jaw dropped.

"Hey! Wait a minute why do I have to pay for it?" she demanded.

"Because you're filthy rich maybe?" Alistair countered as she shut off the lights.

"And hunter's aren't?" Rain shot back.

Alistair thought for a second before saying, "I'll make you any food or dessert that you want."

It was so obviously a bribe that Rain just narrowed her eyes. After a second she looked away and grumbled under her breath.

"Fine... but I am not buying you and more sweets for the rest of the week. I swear you inhale desserts like a starving deviljho. A woman could go broke feeding your sweet tooth."

"I knew you loved me."

"Go fight a plesioth or something."

* * *

With a big stretch of his wings Ginouji yawned and shook his head. His sibling was still fast asleep and looked as if he would stay that way for a while. Rolling over, Ginouji stood up and stretched again as he woke up. Where was mother? Looking around he didn't see her in the room, but her smell still lingered. Sniffing around he looked in every corner but she wasn't here.

Walking over to the door he nudged it open with his nose and headed down the hallway chirping as he went hoping she would respond. Poking his head in he saw a familiar form sleeping. Not mother, but the other one who had been there when he first hatched.

Hissing slightly Ginouji backed up and hurried off before he was spotted. He was about to head further down the hallway to continue his search when he remembered something. Mother had left them once before and that one had stayed behind with them until mother came back. So if that one was still here then did that mean mother would be back soon?

Unsure of himself Ginouji whimpered and shifted back and forth. Fluttering his wings he finally decided to go back. If mother was coming back soon then he didn't want to miss her. Returning to the room he took one look at his brother who was now stretched out all over the place and snorted to himself. Moving to a different spot he circled a few times before laying down.

That big wet place today was fun. He didn't like the new female but mother seemed happy around her so he would try to be nicer.

Thoughts of the new female also brought up memories of the large ones. Ginouji had never seen anything so big before and both of them listened to the new female. Was she their mother? Just like he had a mother? But they were big and strong so maybe they didn't need to stay all the time. Maybe they protected their mother instead. Could he protect his mother too? Ginouji lifted his head and considered that. He had protected his brother after that bad man in the hot place hurt him. So maybe when he got big he could protect mother too.

Pleased with this new thought Ginouji chirped happily and curled his head under his wing. Thinking too much made him tired, but he wanted to see the large ones again. Maybe when mother got back she would take them back to the big wet place to play. Satisfied Ginouji closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

* * *

 

 


	8. On The Prowl

 

* * *

Rain held her hand up and motioned for silence. Both Alistair and Amai stopped and both Rathalos hatchlings stopped as well and looked around. This was the third time they had done this so they knew something must be going on. With another gesture Rain dropped down and skittered behind some bushes. Amai scrambled behind a tree and Alistair ducked behind a large clump of spiny plants with the hatchlings right at her feet. They had woken up at dawn and headed out into the tropical forest so they could do some more training with the hatchlings. As they approached a large but shallow river Rain had stopped them so she could look around before letting them out of the shelter of the trees.

Amai was wearing her recently made Jaggi armor and had brought her weapons with her. Alistair had her own much higher ranking armor along with a bow and a quiver filled with special arrows that she had shipped here just before they left Loc Lac. Rain only had a long knife on her. Not good against monsters but more then enough for her personal protection in most cases. The presence of all this weaponry showed that this wasn't just a pleasure trip. The lush tropical forest attracted not just tourists, but was a paradise for monsters as well.

Seconds passed in tense silence before the reason for their hesitation became clear. A large red carapaceon type monster slowly walked out of the vegetation with its large claws and antennae twitching.

Amai wrinkled her nose. "Looks like an overgrown shrimp or lobster if you ask me..." she muttered and Rain grinned.

"It does doesn't it? That's a daimyo hermitaur. There are quite a few shallow cave systems around here and almost of them are home to creatures like that. So if you get caught out in the rain you're better off roughing it under the trees," Rain said as the hermitaur came down to the water and looked around cautiously before poking a large partly eaten catfish with its claws. Another smaller monster had probably caught it, dragged it here to the shallows, and left when it was full. Finally the Hermitaur snatched it up and quickly ran back into the forest.

"Wow, skittish much?" Amai said as she stepped out from behind the tree. Rain also stood up from her crouch as Alistair did the same. Both Ginouji and Akairo were excited and staring after the monster with big eyes.

"It knows there are much nastier things out here in the jungle that won't hesitate to make a meal out of it," Rain said as she rested a hand on her hip and looked around. "The coast looks clear now. This should be the perfect spot to work with the hatchlings but we'll have to be careful since it's also a popular spot for other monsters as well," she added as Alistair stepped out from behind the group of plants and onto the sandy river shore. Amai bounded out and looked up and down the shoreline.

"We weren't in any danger were we?" Amai asked.

Rain snorted, "Please. That thing wouldn't notice anything less than a bolt of lightning striking its shell. That's what makes it so dangerous. They're so oblivious all the time that by the time they finally do notice you, you're practically underfoot and they freak out over it," she said as they headed down towards the bubbling river.

They stopped when loud calls interrupted them and a small flock of bird-like flying wyverns flew over the trees and circled around before landing on some rocks in the middle of the river. Their backs and wings were mostly smoky gray, but the wings also were striped with blue and white or purple on the edges. Their neck, belly, and the backs of their legs were a grayish-white and their feet were yellow. It looked like a flock of water halk. Nothing dangerous as long as you left them alone. Alistair had seen other hunters use them as hunting partners or couriers, but she'd never had one herself.

Ginouji and Akairo started chirping excitedly at the sight of the tiny wyverns. Tiny in comparison to other monsters that is. While Akairo and Ginouji were growing in leaps and bounds they were still only at Alistair's knees, where the water halk were easily half the size of your average human. The flock leader was twice that size. Despite the hatchlings apparent excitement, Alistair was not so convinced and her hand immediately went to the large bow slung over her shoulder just in case. Generally harmless didn't mean always harmless but Rain put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Don't worry those are just..."

"Halk!" Amai screeched suddenly. Rubbing her ears, Alistair turned and scowled at the teenager who was too busy oogling the wyverns to notice. "Water halk specifically. You can tell just from their coloring. Their coloring shows which element they are. Tame ones will change their element if you feed them special food, but wild ones will remain one element depending on what area they live in. This being the tropics you're most likely to see Water element although farther inland you could see Thunder if this place has frequent thunder storms," she said as the information poured out of her. "My parents bred and trained Ice element halk up in the mountains. We also had a roosting center for those who didn't have space at their own homes to keep theirs. We gave them to other natives either in our village or nearby who hunted for food or who or wanted them for protection," Amai said as the flock took notice of the hatchlings on the river bank and whistled back to them.

Ginouji and Akairo ran over to the water's edge as one of the smaller halk glided over and landed on the sand. It walked up to the hatchlings and leaned down to get a closer look. Apparently Ginouji and Akairo's instincts that the wyverns weren't a threat to them had been spot on. Still this wasn't a habit that Alistair planned to encourage in the future. They were still young after all and they easily could have been wrong and thus in serious danger. Alistair opened her mouth to say something but Amai apparently wasn't finished yet.

"Quite a few people from our tribe and other villages nearby would make clothing or accessories and take them to the larger cities nearby to sell or trade for supplies. Ice halk were invaluable on trips trough the rough mountain trails, cave systems, and thick forests because they're were excellent at spotting prey or large predators that needed to be avoided. My dad took me ice fishing and hunting in the forest with him all the time and we always had a pair with us. I also took mine with me when I accompanied my mom into down to sell her wares. I loved going along," Amai rambled on with bright excited eyes.

Meanwhile the wild water halk apparently found the hatchlings very fascinating and the group had glided over and were now excitedly interacting and playing with the rathalos babies. Still a little uneasy, Alistair finally tore her gaze away from them and glanced over at Rain who rolled her eyes and made a talking motion with her hand. Snorting with laughter Alistair covered her mouth as Amai continued.

"There was this awesome monster hunter in the town just past the mountain range and I went to see her and listen to her hunting stories every chance I got. She said I had what it takes to be a great hunter, but my parents refused to let me talk to her. They didn't ban me from leaving the village or anything but they definitely did not approve of me associating with her. They didn't necessarily want me to take up the family trade, but they did want me to stay with the village. I wanted to be a hunter so badly though that I finally ran away even though I knew I was going to miss my halk terribly. It was just so stifling in the village and I knew I was meant to be a monster hunter just like she said," Amai finally stopped and took a deep breath. A second later she realized Alistair and Rain were staring at her.

"Good lord you can go on forever can't you?" Rain said with an eyebrow raised. Immediately Amai flushed and looked down at her feet.

"Sorry I just... halk are some of my favorite monsters so I got a little... excited," she offered meekly.

"Just a little?" Alistair whispered to Rain who smirked response. Talking louder she said, "I could tell by your hair color that you were from the cold regions, but you're from one of the native tribes too? I met a local tribe once when I was out with a group of hunters that included my boyfriend, later my husband. We were trying to gather information on a Jade Barroth that we were assigned to capture. They... weren't entirely pleased to see us. Then again we were on their land without realizing it," Alistair admitted.

Now the teenager blushed even more. "Yeah... that sounds about right unfortunately. I just hope none of you got hurt. They aren't all that welcoming to outsiders. Not that I can really blame them for it but..." she trailed off and looked down at her shoes.

Alistair just shrugged, "The native tribes there are just used to a certain way of life and feel that everyone else is destroying it. Considering how much of their land has been taken away I can't say they're entirely unjustified. They had ever right not to trust us until we proved by our actions that we really did mean no harm to them or the local monsters. They helped us find and pick out a spot to relocate the barroth too in the end," she added looking back over at Ginouji and Akairo who were busy playing "catch me if you can" in the shallow water with one of the smaller halk. It was still a few inches taller than the hatchlings, but at least they were getting along and seemed to have made a new friend.

Rain cleared her throat to get their attention. "Well as you can see wild halk are naturally very curious and are very smart. I always see a group of them hanging around the Azure Rathalos and Pink Rathian couple that lives around here. The halk keep smaller monsters away from their eggs and the babies after they hatch. In turn the halk get free meals whenever one of the pair goes hunting not to mention protection in return since those two are the largest flying wyverns in the area and all the other monsters go running when they appear," Rain said as Alistair finally relaxed a little.

"So basically that group of halk is sucking up to Ginouji and Akairo in case mom and dad are in the area?"

"Yep. Better to be safe then sorry, right?" Rain said with a grin. "But if the Azure Rathalos or his mate come flying over to see what's going on they'll probably scatter like the cowards they are. I mean they can't be seen playing both sides can they?" she added bumping Alistair's shoulder with her own.

Alistair shook her head at those words and simply said, "I have seen it all."

"Besides even when they do figure out that these rathalos are being taken care of by humans, I doubt they'll just leave right away. Small rathalos grow up into big ones. Friends now means they might not be eaten themselves when your little ones grow up. These guys could also oust the local male and female couple so they'll play both sides for as long as they can. Anything for self preservation," Rain pointed out and Amai nodded in agreement.

Amai waved her hand. "Well hey! We might as well get started training right? I'll bet anything those halk will help out once they see what we're doing. I know ours back home would always help out the younger brood members when they were learning how to hunt. Mostly because it meant some extra food for them," she said helpfully. Alistair relaxed at those words.

"Right. Well let's stop wasting time then."

* * *

"Okay now watch closely," Rain ordered. Both Ginouji and Akairo looked over at Alistair who nodded and repeated the words to them. Chirping softly the babies shifted their feet and focused intently on what the two women were doing. In Rain's hand was a carving knife that she was going to use for her newest demonstration. Both rathalos were picking up more commands every day and they now realized that "watch closely" meant that they were going to learn how to do something new. Today it was hunting. Sort of.

Both hatchlings were too small and far too young to kill anything of any real size. However, there were plenty of small crustaceans, fish, and other sea life in the river here or in nearby tide pools just waiting to be discovered and eaten. Rain knew which ones were best to eat and how to get them so Alistair was letting her take the lead on this. The flock of halk was now scattered up and down the shore line as they did their own hunting.

Reaching over Rain turned over a rock about the size of her hand that was half immersed in the river. As soon as she'd flipped it over a tiny crab scuttled out and onto the sand its claws snapping in warning. Ginouji just tilted his head curiously, but Akairo squeaked and looked up to see if it was something to play with. Rain smirked and used her knife to flip the crab over and then gave it a quick stab right in the center of its belly where its shell plates came together.

"Quick and painless," Rain said with great satisfaction as she gave the knife to Alistair who followed her friends example by turning over a few rocks until another crab ran out. After killing it the same way, Alistair put it next to the first crab.

"Not fun," she said firmly to the hatchlings. They tended to bite and chew on anything and everything within reach and everything their mother put down in front of them. Starting today Alistair was verbally labeling objects that they could play with "fun" and other items "not fun." This change was due to the fact that she'd woken up and found tears and tooth marks in one of the few shirts she'd brought with her from Loc Lac. Whether it would work in the long term or not remained to be seen but it didn't hurt to try.

"Food. Eat," she said grabbing one of the crabs and putting it in her mouth. Making a biting and chewing motion she pretended to eat it before putting it back down. Akairo was the first one to pick up on it this time and he grabbed the crab and bit into it with relish crunching and spitting out shell chunks as he went. Ginouji was more careful and after eating the arms and legs he bit the main body with his teeth and picked at it with his feet until it separated into two neat halves. Then he resumed eating with happy chirps bubbling in his throat.

Akairo was finished and seemed to understand the lesson perfectly well. After spotting another rock in the water he splashed over to it and looked up at Alistair who walked over to him and turned it over. The second the crab ran out Alistair flipped the crustacean over and used the knife to kill it like rain had the first one. Fluttering his wings happily the baby Rathalos didn't hesitate to start eating it this time.

"Looks like he's picked up on this quickly enough. How about you?" Rain asked looking at Ginouji who had just finished eating. The Silver Rathalos narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the woman but didn't run away or hiss at her this time. Sighing Rain walked a little ways down from Alistair and Akairo and crouched down next to the water. Looking up she whistled and motioned for Ginouji to come over to her. Still hesitant he looked back at Alistair who nodded and motioned for him to go.

"It's okay. I'm right here. Amai go with him. He doesn't like you still, but at least you're more familiar to him then Rain is," Alistair said and Amai nodded and walked over. Stopping halfway to where Rain was she turned around and smiled at Ginouji.

"Come on little guy lets eat!" Amai said cheerfully.

That apparently gave Ginouji the confidence to wander farther away from his mother. If there was one thing he recognized it was what the word "eat" meant. Hopping over to Rain, Ginouji stopped a few feet away from her and cast a hooded look at Amai as well. The way he kept shifting his feet and opening and closing his wings clearly showed that he wasn't entirely comfortable over here with them. Rain ignored his unease and flipped over a rock. A tiny crustacean was under it, but unlike the crab it didn't run away. Instead it lifted its claws and snapped at them defiantly.

"What is that? We didn't have those up in my village. I only remember reading about them in books," Amai said as Ginouji immediately focused his attention on it and leaned forward. He opened and closed his jaws expectantly and looked up at the two women waiting for them to kill it for him. Amai hesitated and went for her weapon, but Rain stopped her.

"Oh no. Let him see if he can do it this time," Rain said and she nodded at Ginouji. "Go on," she shifted her weight and made a stomping motion with one foot. Unfortunately he still didn't seem to get what he was supposed to do.

Looking around he stared at one of the halk several feet away as it grabbed a fish out of the water and used its foot to hold it in place so it would stop squirming. _Now_ he understood what to do. Chirping in understanding Ginouji made a little hop over to the still irritated crustacean and put his foot down on it, easily trapping it beneath his claws. Too bad he had no idea what to do with it after that and the way he scrunched his face clearly said he didn't like the feeling of the little creature squirming under his feet. Unsure of what to do next, he looked up at Rain and cooed slightly in an obvious "help me" manner.

"Bite it," Rain said and this Ginouji understood perfectly. She had heard Alistair use the phrase several times when she was playing tug of war with the babies yesterday with the toy Amai had made for Akairo. Moving his foot back, Ginouji snapped his head down and grabbed the tiny creature in his jaws. Shaking his head back and forth he tossed it aside and then hurried over to it. When it didn't move he poked it with his nose hesitantly before fluttering his wings with pride and picking it up in his mouth. Turning around he shot off and ran back in Alistair's direction as fast as his little legs could go.

"Where's he going?" Amai asked as Rain stood up and scratched the back of her head in confusion.

Even Alistair seemed confused and just watched as the Silver Rathalos came and looked up at his mom. Lowering his head he dropped the mauled treat at her feet and then gazed back up expectantly. Now Rain grinned from ear to ear as she realized what the baby was doing.

"Awww, he's giving you a present, Alistair! How can you possibly refuse?" Rain crowed as her best friend flushed with embarrassment.

"What am I supposed to do? I mean... I assume that trying to give it back to him would be rude... or... I mean... Rain quit laughing and do something here!" Alistair demanded as Rain cracked up with laughter. Amai was too busy gushing over how cute it all was.

Wiping a tear from her eyes, Rain swallowed the rest of her laughter and said, "Oh, settle down. Pick it up and bite a piece off. Then give it back to Ginouji." Alistair bent over and did as she was told. Biting one of the claws off she put it back on the ground and Ginouji chuffed with satisfaction and quickly finished off the rest as Akairo puffed himself up and stomped off into the water to look for his own. Alistair made sure neither hatchling was watching her when she tossed the lone claw over her shoulder. There was no way she was actually eating that raw. Rain and Amai walked back over as Alistair crossed her arms.

"Don't adult rathalos do that when they're trying to catch a rathian's eye and convince her to be his mate?" Alistair asked her friend. Rain nodded as Ginouji turned and went off to try to find more to eat.

"They sure do. It's already been shown to be instinctive behaviour. When a rathalos reaches maturity and is trying to find a mate he'll leave gifts of food for the rathian he's trying to attract. He does this to try and convince her that he'll be a good provider and protector for their future hatchlings," Rain said thoughtfully. "But at this age your babies are just thanking you for taking care of them. It's their way of saying 'I love you' and I'm sure Akairo will do the same thing when he makes his first kill," she added and sure enough Akairo came running back seconds later with a small fish in his mouth. Of course it wasn't actually dead yet and it was clearly all the baby could do just to keep his jaws locked down on it since it was still flopping around determinedly. However, Akairo was likely more worried about out-doing his brother then whether or not his first kill was actually dead or not.

"Better grab it before it slaps him in the face and swims away," Amai said and quickly fought to smother her smile when Alistair scowled at her. Sighing slightly, Alistair bent down and grabbed the fish from Akairo's mouth and quickly killed the poor thing with Rain's knife before it could suffer any more indignities at the claws of its young tormentor. Slicing a piece off the fish, Alistair grimaced and held it at arms length as she tossed the fish back to Akairo who fluttered his wings and looked over at Ginouji with obvious pride.

Putting her hands on her hips Rain scoffed at the baby rathalos. "Oh please. I was watching you the entire time and the only reason you caught that fish was because you knocked it out of the water by accident," she said as Akairo ignored her and ate his prize with great relish. Glancing over at Alistair, Rain smirked at her friend. "What's wrong? I thought you liked seafood?" she said taking a dig at Alistair who tossed the piece of raw fish at Amai who caught it in her hands.

"I like _cooked_ seafood and you'd better be glad I do that. I grew up on a farm well inland. We lived off meat and vegetables not fish and crustaceans," Alistair grumbled as she wiped her hands off on her shirt. Amai sniffed the strip of fish in her hand and glanced at the hatchlings who were now occupied with their newly learned hunting technique before eating it whole much to Alistair's disgust.

Seeing the look she was getting, Amai shrugged. "What? We ate raw fish back home in the mountains all the time. It's not always possible to get a roaring fire going you know," Amai said after she'd swallowed it.

"Ugh, you disgust me. Both of you," Alistair said with an unpleasant shiver as she looked away from them.

All of them watched as Ginouji and Akairo continued looking around in the water for more food. Ginouji had just discovered a strange creature covered in bristling purple spines. Sucking in a breath, Alistair jerked forward to stop him but one of the water halk standing not even three feet away let out a loud screech and snapped at the Silver Rathalos who pulled back in surprise. Stepping closer the halk hissed at the spiny creature and shook its head as if it had come across something foul. It flapped its wings and kicked at the creature until it finally got tired of being harassed and slowly but surely inched away into a deeper part of the water before it was eaten. Ginouji stared after the spiny purple thing and then looked up at the halk and gurgled questioningly. Bowing its head the halk hissed and shook its head again before making a choking sound. Ginouji chirped in surprise and flapped his wings in surprise. Looking back into the water the Silver Rathalos hissed.

Sighing in relief, Alistair ran a hand through her hair as Akairo ran over and tried to catch up on what was going on. Alistair frowned slightly and said, "That was... some type of sea urchin right? They might have no problem with them as they get bigger, but right now they could be a serious choking hazard with all those spines," she asked looking over at Rain who nodded in response.

"Right. Researchers aren't entirely sure if they're poisonous to all of the local monsters, but the spines can be very painful if you get stuck by one. I've seen my lagiacrus eating the inside and spitting out the rest, but it takes quite a bit of skill," Rain said as Alistair called Ginouji and Akairo back to her. "For an adult rathalos though it would be too much trouble for too little of a reward so there's no point in teaching your boys how to eat them. It's better if they just leave them alone," she added as the hatchlings crowded around her and chirped at their mother until she crouched down and let them cuddle with her.

"Awww that's so adorable!" Amai squealed as both babies nuzzled Alistair affectionately. Alistair for her part pursed her lips but chose to ignore the comment.

"Yeah, yeah it's so cute we get the picture already. Let's go down to the beach and explore some of the tidal pools," Alistair said as she stood up and nodded downriver. "This may have been informative, but I know that wasn't nearly enough food to fill them up. Besides they'll get the chance to do some more swimming too," she added as the flock of halk looked up suddenly and took to the air crying out loudly as they circled up. Raising an eyebrow, Alistair put a hand on her bow.

Reaching over Rain put a hand on Alistair's arm to stop her, but didn't take her eyes off of the sky. Her entire body had tensed up and any traces of laughter were gone. Another second passed before she pulled on her friend's arm. Now when Rain spoke her voice was just above a whisper.

"Amai be quiet and back away towards the woods, but don't run. Alistair whatever happens don't grab your bow until I tell you to. He might go after Ginouji and Akairo, but if he decides to ignore them then just let him go. Don't make any threatening moves and don't look him in the eye unless I tell you to understand?" Rain hissed and pulled on Alistair's arm as the tell-tale sound of flapping wings drifted over the trees. Very, _very_ large wings.

"Is that what I think it is?" Amai asked as she backed up towards the tree line.

There was no chance for anyone to answer that question as a large figure winged over the trees and circled down to the river. An adult male Azure Rathalos. In one smooth motion it swooped around and back winged a few times and landed on the other side of the river. Immediately it locked eyes on them and hissed at them in warning and scratched at the ground with its foot. Amai sucked in a breath and Alistair gritted her teeth as her fingers twitched, but she kept her hands down and away from her bow. Still hissing the rathalos stalked forward as its gaze shifted to the two baby rathalos cowering behind Alistair.

Tightening her grip on Alistair's arm, Rain kept her gaze on the Azure Rathalos and said quietly, "Slowly take off your bow and string it with an arrow. Make it obvious that you're ready to fight, but keep it pointed at the ground so he knows you'd rather avoid any trouble." She let go of her friend's arm so she could do as instructed.

Moving slowly, Alistair grabbed the large bow off her shoulder and carefully pulled an arrow out of her quiver and set it against her bow, but didn't pull it back. Just as Rain said she kept the bow pointed at the ground, but her body was tense and ready to spring into action. Upon seeing that action the male rathalos stopped and hissed again at them.

Alistair shifted her stance and risked a quick look behind her. Ginouji and Akairo were standing with Amai or to be more accurate they were peeking out from behind her legs with wide eyes.

Glancing over at Amai, Rain added, "Take out your sword and hold up your shield. Slowly. He knows what that means. He's seen plenty of hunters in this area before." Amai nodded and did just as she was told. Once she had done so the Azure Rathalos chuffed and straightened up before turning his head away in apparent disinterest, but he kept watching them from the corner of his eyes.

Rain sighed but didn't relax. "The other side of the river marks the boundary of the territory he and his mate have. He stays away from the city and everyone in the area leaves him alone or keeps an eye out if they see him. He old enough to know that the local humans are no threat, but he keeps a strict eye on any hunters he see's in the area and always comes to take a closer look to make sure they aren't causing too much trouble," she paused for a moment to make sure Alistair and Amai were listening. Satisfied she continued, "Normally he'd be satisfied that we aren't here to hunt him and leave, but your hatchlings here have him curious. He's waiting to see if another male or female appears to defend them," she explained carefully and the azure male did seem to be doing just that as he scanned the skies carefully while flicking his gaze back to them regularly.

"Now go out to the edge of the river and yell at him," Rain ordered. Turning slightly Alistair just gaped at her. Sure it made sense considering what she knew of rathalaos behavior but that still didn't make it a smart idea.

"...say that again?"

"Go. Out. And _yell_ at him. As loud as you can," Rain repeated and nodded towards the river's edge. She was dead serious. When Alistair continued staring at her as if she'd lost her mind Rain growled in frustration. "Look a male rathalos will _not_ hesitate to kill hatchlings that aren't his. If your babies stray over to his territory then he _will_ kill them. You need to send him a message he'll be able to understand. Go out there and act big and bad. Show him that you are an angry momma and you will defend your babies to the death if he dares to step foot over here in your territory," she said to Alistair who did not look thrilled at all by the prospect.

"Since when is this _my_ anything?"

"Hey you came here for my help and now I'm helping you. If you act like this is your territory and show that you're willing to defend it then he'll do the same thing. He'll threaten you and roar and make sure you know to stay away from his territory. Then you'll both back off and leave unharmed... I hope," Rain said as obvious worry crossed her face. Alistair may be a hunter, but Rain had lived here in his area all her life. She knew a lot about the local monsters than Alistair did. However, she wasn't a professional hunter like Alistair was and the Azure Rathalos had been around long enough to realize the difference between a hunter and a civilian.

Alistair grumbled under her breath and stalked forward until her feet splashed in the water. Now the Azure Rathalos hissed and lowered his head as he watched her approach.

"Please be careful," Rain urged from behind her. Alistair nodded and took a deep breath. This seemed more than a little ridiculous, but Rain had been her best friend for a long time and Alistair trusted her.

"All right big guy. Let's see what you got," Alistair said as she lunged forward and shouted at the top of her lungs. Immediately the male rathalos charged forward and skidded to a stop before it hit the middle of the river. Flames and smoke flashed up in its throat as it fanned its wings and roared right back at her. Every instinct she'd honed over the years told her to dodge out of the way and fire an arrow off quickly. Instead Alistair forced herself to stay put and yelled back again.

"Get out of here! I'm not scared of you!" Alistair screamed back as the rathalos snarled and inhaled deeply. Knowing what was coming next, Alistair crouched down as the large male breathed a gout of flame at her. The river was a big one and he was still about 30 feet away, but the fire still curled up around Alistair and licked at her face and arms. Another rathalos or rathian wouldn't have blinked twice at it as their scales would protect them from the relatively paltry amount of fire that had just flashed up around her. Alistair had to do the same and stand firm. Ignoring the pain she took another step forward. This time she slapped her bow and one of her long arrows against the water to show she wasn't intimidated.

"Back off!" Alistair screamed again at the Azure Rathalos. Part of her mind was telling her to move like a smart hunter should, but the other part was fully away of Ginouji and Akairo behind her. She had decided to keep them and now it was her responsibility to keep them safe. Alistair was so caught up in staying focused that she almost missed what Rain was saying.

"Back up! Alistair back up!" Rain hissed at her urgently.

Snapping back to attention, Alistair took a step back and then another one, but she kept her bow up and the arrow ready. When she started backing off the Azure Rathalos shifted his weight back and took a few steps away as well. When she was halfway to the trees the male rathalos snorted one last time and jumped up into the air. With a few flaps of his wings he had turned away and flown back over the trees. As soon as he'd done so both Ginouji and Akairo came running back up to Alistair who sighed and leaned on her bow. Fighting a monster always brought on a surge of adrenaline, but staring one in the face like that? That was just plain terrifying and any hunter that didn't get scared from time to time was not only stupid and overconfident, but they were also guaranteed to have a very, _very_ short career.

Alistair felt a gentle nudge at her legs and looked down to see both hatchlings looking up at her with obvious concern. Crouching down she wrapped her arm around them as they pressed against her keening with worry. "Don't worry. I'm made of tougher stuff then that," Alistair said but those words didn't stop the way her hands were shaking. More than anything she wanted to get back and sleep all of this off. The hatchlings looked like they'd had enough as well.

Amai ran up and grinned from ear to ear. "You did it! You really did it! That was so terrifying! There's no way I could have stared down a monster like that!" she said breathlessly as Alistair stood back up. Rain scanned the sky carefully as she walked over. Amai turned to her and bowed gratefully. "That was so amazing! You really know your stuff. We probably would have ended up fighting that rathalos if not for you," she said but the woman merely nodded absently as she leaned closer to Alistair and examined the burns on her face.

Alistair touched her face gently and tried not to wince. It felt like she had sunburn. Really, _really_ bad sunburn. She knew it probably looked a whole lot worse than it felt and that her face would be peeling tomorrow morning. Some cream to heal the burns and she'd be fine in a few days. It was no big deal, but she also knew that Rain would be upset that she got hurt and would fuss over her like a mother hen and would only get worse if Alistair insisted that she was fine. Even now the woman's lips had thinned and her eyes were starting to brim with concern. Might as well head her off.

"Why don't we skip the beach for today? I think these little guys have had enough. Besides I'm worn out and the faster we get back the sooner I can get some cream to heal these burns. I'm ready to crawl in bed and sleep off all this excitement," Alistair said gently and Rain snapped back to attention and nodded. Backing off she looked away and cleared her throat before motioning towards the forest.

"Yeah... right. We should get back. We can feed the hatchlings back home and I'll get some stuff for your burns," Rain mumbled and rubbed the back of her neck before heading off through the trail they had come down.

Amai raised and eyebrow and looked over at Alistair with a clear "what was that about?" look on her face. Alistair just shook her head.

"Not the time or the place even if I felt like telling you which I don't," Alistair said before brushing past her and following after Rain with Ginouji and Akairo practically stepping on her feet in their eagerness to be next to their mother. Sighing heavily, Amai merely rolled her eyes and followed after them.

* * *

 


	9. Mother Knows Best

 

* * *

Ginouji was practically shaking with excitement. So much that any thoughts of eating were now the farthest things from his mind. The whole time they were walking back all he could think about was how mother had protected them from that big winged monster. It didn't like them and it didn't want them coming across the water to it either. It roared and hissed and threatened to kill them if they came any closer. And it was so _big_! He didn't know what it was, but it obviously was ready to attack them and not like the play fights he and his brother had.

With a shiver Ginouji looked up at his mother who was talking with the new female. Beside him Akairo gave a high-pitched whistle and Ginouji chirped back and flapped his wings in agreement. They had both been so scared, but mother hadn't been worried at all. She ran right up to the winged monster and roared right back at him. Not only did she stand there and protect them, but she actually made it go away! As long as mother was there with them they had nothing to fear. She would never let them get hurt. Looking back at where they were walking, Ginouji continued thinking.

Would mother teach them to fight when they were bigger too? Today they learned how to get their own food so maybe soon they would learn how to fight like she did. Until then he wanted to remember every moment of what just happened.

Turning to Akairo he hopped from side to side and lowered his head before scratching the ground like the big winged monster had. Immediately Akairo hissed back and fanned his wings out to make himself look bigger and more scary. Both of them circled back and forth hissing and snapping at each other. He was far too young to actually roar, but he still squawked and squealed with all his might. Akairo bowed his head and scurried away to mother's far side in mock defeat. Seconds later they had reversed roles and now Ginouji was the one defeated.

Ginouji loved to copy everything mother did. She was the best. She loved them and he loved her. She was big and strong and she knew everything. She was teaching them all sorts of new things and when he was big he would come back with his brother and chase off that big winged monster. They would be the best monsters around and mother would never have to worry about them again.

Satisfied with this Ginouji ran around mother's legs and while Akairo stomped around on the ground hissing in imitation of what he had seen mother do earlier. A strange sound distracted him and Ginouji looked up to see that mother seemed happy with their playing. Running over he rubbed his head against her legs lovingly.

He couldn't wait to see what else mother knew and had to show them.

* * *

After getting back to Rain's house Alistair had tried to get the hatchlings to eat more but they were too busy running around. She wanted them to eat and then take a nap so she could relax and rest up herself, but that clearly wasn't going to happen anytime soon. One of the many pitfalls of looking after a couple of babies. Thankfully Amai had plenty of energy and volunteered to keep her eyes on them while Alistair got her burns taken care off. They were evidently so enthralled by their mother's grand act of protection earlier that even Ginouji didn't complain at Amai's closeness and attention. All three were over in the sitting room right now and Alistair could look over and see them playing tug of war together.

Rain had disappeared into one of her pantries before coming back and with some herbs, a few small blue mushrooms, and an icethaw pellet. After crushing them with a bowl and pestle she added a little water to thicken it. She also had brought some bandages to wrap up the burn damage when she was done. When Rain was finished mixing the ingredients she motioned for Alistair to take a seat on one of the tall stools sitting against the bar side of the kitchen counter. She'd already taken her armor off and managed to slip into a loose tank top and pants although it was a stiff and slightly painful process.

"Oh man. I was fine at first but now this is really starting to aggravate me," Alistair grimaced as she slid onto a stool and let Rain spread the healing paste up and down her arms. Her arms were hot and itching like crazy but she knew scratching them would only make it worse. Thankfully the healing paste stopped the itching and the icethaw pellet that Rain added provided sweet cooling relief. Sighing happily, Alistair limited her objections to a wrinkled nose as Rain put the bowl down and carefully wrapped up her arms in bandages. Tying them off she stepped back and nodded in satisfaction before moving a hand to Alistair's face. Immediately, Alistair leaned back slightly.

"You're not going to wrap my face up like a mummy after you're done with that are you?" she demanded suspiciously and Rain scowled at her.

"Oh quit being such a baby. I'm trying to help," Rain said giving her a firm look, but Alistair still wasn't swayed by it. They continued the stare off for several more seconds until Rain's face fell into a sad look and her lower lip trembled slightly. It was her infamous "puppy dog look" and she only used it to manipulate her best friend.

Groaning, Alistair looked away. "Oh now that's not fair! You know how much I hate it when you do that!" she objected as Rain grinned victoriously. Alistair grimaced at the slight smell but didn't complain any more as the woman applied the paste to her face and neck. When she was finished she wrapped some bandages around Alistair's neck, but left her face alone.

"It will soak into your skin and heal the burns, but it will take several hours so please do _not_ rub it or scratch it. It's still early afternoon so I'll apply some more tonight before you go to bed. _Then_ I'll wrap you up like a mummy," Rain said with a wink as she walked off to put the supplies away. Rolling her eyes Alistair didn't answer that but instead looked over at Amai who was trying to get Ginouji to come close enough for her to pet him. Unfortunately the Silver Rathalos was still not that trusting and instead ran and hissed at her from behind Akairo who evidently was trying to play peacemaker.

Coming back Rain glanced over at the hatchlings before turning back to her best friend. She took note of the way Alistair kept shifting, grimacing, and rolling her shoulders. Narrowing her eyes she walked over and put her hands down on her friend's shoulders. Immediately Rain's eyebrows shot up at how rigid Alistair was.

"What now?" Alistair twisted around in the stool as she asked the question, but Rain scowled and forced her to turn back around and face the counter.

"Quit fidgeting I'm trying to see something here," Rain chastised and Alistair pursed her lips but did as she was told. After second Rain started to knead her shoulder's gently. The woman's muscles were like rocks. "Man how long has it been since you relaxed or took a day off? I'm surprised you haven't ripped a muscle as tense as you are," Rain noted sourly as she pressed harder on Alistair's shoulders. Instead of answering the normally proud hunter just groaned in sweet relief.

"Shut up and keep massaging," she countered before closing her eyes in obvious satisfaction. Every hunter had their vices and for Alistair it was a good day at whatever spa was closest. A soak in some hot mineral water along with a herbal face mask and she was in heaven. Nothing beat a good massage after a grueling quest. Besides swinging a giant switch axe around took a lot of shoulder strength. It wasn't a weapon for the faint of heart.

"Besides I was _supposed_ to be taking two weeks off and possibly visiting my parents, but it seems life had other plans for me and the eggs I was hauling back decided to hatch early. So my regular trip to the spa had to wait," Alistair explained as Rain worked the knots out of her tense muscles. "I guess I should write to my parents and let them know what's going on..." she added hesitantly as Amai walked over and looked between the two of them with a look before walking around the counter and leaning on it across from Alistair. The squeaking and scuffling behind Alistair said that both Akairo and Ginouji were still full of energy and hardly ready to sleep anywhere.

"Wow you sure sound thrilled by that prospect. Do they have a problem with you being a hunter?" Amai asked curiously as Alistair opened her eyes and grimaced.

"No. The only one in my family who has a real problem with that is my sister and we avoid talking as much as possible. My parents are fine with it, but..." Alistair paused for a moment and shifted her gaze up to Rain who was keeping her face as neutral as possible. The two women exchanged a look before Rain answered.

"They don't like me very much," Rain said simply.

Amai narrowed her eyes at them and said, "Why wouldn't they like you? Do they not like your profession? Because treasure hunting seems pretty awesome to me." Rain lips thinned at the question and she looked down at Alistair who answered for her.

"They don't approve of us being friends for other reasons," Alistair said and when Amai opened her mouth to say something else she was promptly cut off. "Other reasons meaning you don't need to know. So don't ask," she added sharply before closing her eyes again and letting Rain massage her tension away.

Since Amai was used to this kind of behavior by now she just rolled her eyes and rubbed her hands together. "Whatever. So what is there to eat around here? I'm getting hungry," she said and her stomach rumbled loudly in agreement. A smile returned to Rain's face at that comment.

"Once I'm finished with miss powerful hunter's massage right here we can go to one of my favorite restaurants in town. It may be small with limited seating, but the food is excellent. Fresh supplies come in every morning from the local fisherman so most of the menu will be made up of seafood and vegetables," Rain said and Amai groaned and pouted at the fact that she would have to wait longer for her meal. After a second though her face brightened and she pulled out a curved fang that she had in her pocket. It was pretty big so it might have come from a Great Jaggi.

"Oh by the way Alistair can I keep a few of these? I need a few of these for..." Amai never got to finish her sentence because Alistair's eyes snapped open and she grabbed the curved fang back with a deep scowl on her face.

"What are you doing with that? You want one then grab your weapon, go sign up for a quest at the tavern, and hunt down some Jaggi or Great Jaggi of your own," Alistair snapped as she glared at Amai who wasn't about to give up so easily. She tried to snatch it back but Alistair pulled it out of the way. Amai tried reasoning with her instead.

"Are you kidding? You brought like 20 of those things along with you!" she objected strongly.

"I brought 35 to be exact because I want to trade them for some items in town. Curved fangs don't trade for much so you need a lot of them to get something good. I have more in storage so I thought it would be best to get some use out of them," Alistair countered and pulled the fang away when Amai tried to lean over snatch it back once again. All the young hunter got was a slap on the hand for her efforts.

"Back off. You have legs so get some yourself. Any and all monster materials have to be earned. Guild rules," Alistair had no sympathy for her whatsoever.

Amai straightened up and put her hands on her hips. "Well fine then. Be that way if you want. I'm going to check in at the guild counter here and get approved for quests as soon as possible. Just you wait and see I'll have a new weapon before you know it!" she shot back before stomping off in a pout. Turning around Rain watched the teenager walk away and then turned back to Alistair when she was out of sight.

"There's no Guild rule like that at all is there?" Rain asked curiously and Alistair smirked.

"Of course not, but she's never going to learn if I give her everything for free, right?" she answered with angelic innocence. Laughing, Rain shook her head and moved her hands lower down Alistair's back.

"I am so glad I'm not a hunter because I would hate to have you as mentor."

"It'll toughen her up. Trial by fire and all that."

* * *

About  an hour later they were standing at the tavern in front of the quest counter. Alistair had been planning on laying down and getting the rest she deserved, but Amai had bugged her until she finally gave in and agreed to come. Walking around the port looking like she had some hideous form of sunburn was not her idea of fun, but thankfully few people were foolish enough to be out during the hottest part of the day.

_So much for just relaxing at the house,_ Alistair thought as she looked down at the babies who were stretched out to the end of their harness leashes sniffing the air. Just across from the quest counter and shop was a restaurant. It was small but the fire's were burning, pots were filled with stew, and there were baskets of food, spices, and herbs piled up either behind the counter or stacked behind or on the sides of the restaurant. The smell was definitely making her mouth water. Eating out was definitely a good idea.

Turning back to the counter Alistair waited as the quest lady wrote down their information before handing back their guild cards.

"Okay you're all set! It will take a few days to get a reply back from the Guild so come back in about three of four days and we should have some quests for you!" she said cheerfully as Alistair and Amai took their Guild Cards back and carefully put them away. 

Guild Cards had their name, the central city, town, or village where they were now registered as hunters, current HR rank, preferred weapons, and a small colored dot stamped in the bottom corner of their card. The small stamp showed their current Guild standing. Newer hunters had green dots like Amai did. Those who followed the rules, helped newer hunters, gave accurate reports of all their kills during quests, and turned in extra items at the end of their quests had teal marks like the one on Alistair's card. It basically meant that she met the standard for being an ideal hunter. Purple and black was reserved for those hunters approved for the highest levels of quests. Orange was a warning that the hunter had engaged in illegal activity before. Red meant they were barred from anything but low level quests.

Alistair looked up and asked, "HR levels work differently here don't they? Does that mean ours will go down?" she wasn't thrilled by the prospect of all her hard work being "adjusted" like that. Smiling warmly the Guild woman quickly shook her head.

"Don't worry! Once it's ready we'll take your current Guild Card and exchange it with a new one. It will have the name of this port and your HR rate here displayed alongside the town you were previously registered in which would be Loc Lac for both of you right?" she asked and both women nodded. "Good. Then enjoy your stay here and happy hunting!" she said cheerfully.

Turning around Alistair smiled at Rain and said, "Looks like we're ready to go. Of course if I do take any quests it will be easier hunts or gathering quests since I have Ginouji and Akairo to look after. Even those will make money though and bring in plenty of good items." She glanced over at Amai who looked like she was already planning her next big hunt. Rolling her eyes Alistair waited as Rain snapped her fingers to get the girl's attention.

"Why don't we get something to eat before you drift too far off into la-la land over there mighty hunter," Rain said with an amused look as Amai blinked and brought herself back down to earth. Amai flushed but kept any other thoughts to herself as they walked the short distance over to the tiny restaurant.

They took up seats at the counter and ordered some meals. Although they were unlikely to go anywhere, Alistair still tied their leashes to her bar stool just in case they got the urge to walk off and explore something. Since she had plenty of money Alistair bought smaller portions of stewed fish for Ginouji and Akairo as well. She wasn't exactly sure of everything that was in it, but the felyne cook insisted that he knew exactly what would "sizzle" a young carnivore's taste buds. Turns out he was right and both babies were currently devouring their meals with relish. Amai was eating a huge pot of crabs and shellfish while Alistair and Rain had settled for sandwiches.

Amai paused for a moment to lean forward so she could see Rain better. "There's one thing that's been bothering me. I know you raised those lagiacrus but technically they're still wild aren't they? So do you ever worry about them getting killed or captured by hunters or fisherman?" she asked curiously. Rain grimaced and nodded as she put her sandwich down.

"I do. Of course I raised them and did my best to teach them that hunters are dangerous and should be avoided. At one point I even put in a request at the quest counter so that I could teach them how to fight and defend themselves against hunters if necessary, but at some point you just have to hope for the best," Rain paused and nodded at Ginouji and Akairo who were licking their bowls of fish stew clean. "You do everything you can possibly think of to raise them, but there comes a time when you just have to let them go and believe that they will remember, apply, and learn from everything you've taught them over the years. Same with these little ones. Eventually they will be big enough and both of them will have to 'leave of the nest' so to speak. It's necessary for their emotional and physical health, but that doesn't make it easy to deal with," Rain explained as Alistair glanced down at the young rathalos by her feet.

"There's also the chance that they may not come back. Now with rathalos that's a pretty slim chance..." Rain paused for a moment and glanced over at Alistair before adding, "...but you do have to prepare yourself for the possibility. Rathian can be raised from hatchlings and kept, but young rathalos males sometimes tend to roam vast areas," she explained as Akairo finished eating and let out a small burp.

Amai wrinkled her nose at that. "Ewww, don't think you're coming near me with that breath," she said waving her hand in front of her nose.

Alistair frowned and chewed her bottom lip as she thought. "But there is a chance they might decide to stay in the wild? Like your black lagiacrus, Shurika, did right?" she asked and Rain nodded.

"Abyssal Lagiacrus is the official name and Seiva is technically considered Ivory instead of white, but that's besides the point. Once Shurika was released she never came back like her brothers did. However, I do see her from time to time and she always comes up to me if I'm alone out at sea. Abyssal Lagiacrus live in deep trenches and vast canyon systems and rarely come up to the surface. When they do its only to grab a breath of air and then they can stay submerged for several hours, but knowing she's okay is enough for me. There are also... other circumstances that led to her leaving when she might have stayed," Rain said and then gestured towards the two hatchlings who were sniffing around for more food. "With those two there's no telling, but you need to be prepared in case one of them decides they want to stay in the wild," she said to Alistair who grunted but didn't answer. It was hard to believe right now when they were so clingy, but they were growing fast. 

Pushing away her empty plate Alistair leaned back and said, "So far we've taught them to swim and started the basics of showing them how to dig up food. I'd rather save a trip to the tide pools for tomorrow."

Rain thought for a moment and then shrugged, "Sure we can go there in the morning as the tide is going out. The tide pools will allow them to swim around some more and learn how to catch not just small crustaceans, but fish as well. Plenty of rathalos catch fish, but not all of them are safe to eat and a few will even poison them. They need to learn quickly which ones are good and which one's aren't. Some people like your sister would probably argue that it's too early for this kind of thing, but I say the sooner the better. If they're anywhere near as intelligent as lagiacrus are then they are going to need something to keep them occupied," she paused for a moment and grinned at Alistair. "I mean unless you want a pair of your nice hunting shoes turned into chew toys," she said with a smirk.

Rolling her eyes, Alistair stood up and untied the hatchlings leashed from the post they had gotten themselves wrapped around. "Very funny. Fine. Tomorrow morning we'll head out and start some more training. I hope we won't have any more encounters like we did today?" she asked curiously and Rain shook her head.

"Oh no you're not getting off that easy. This port doesn't have a good number of hunters registered here for nothing. This is the ludroth breeding season so we'll meet several of them at the very least. Not to mention plesioth are spotted regularly in these waters. I'd be sure to bring your bow if I were you. As for you..." Rain paused and looked at Amai. "This might be a good time to polish up on your fighting skills," she said as the young hunter winced.

"Don't plesioth like shoot beams of boiling water out of their mouths?" Amai asked hesitantly and Alistair nodded in confirmation causing a groan from the young hunter. "Great. I heard hunters in Loc Lac complaining about how difficult it is to fight. It's a good thing I have a shield," she mumbled the last part mostly to herself. Alistair wrapped the hatchlings harness leashes around her hand and straightened up.

Rain waved her hand, "I meant polish them up for the ludroth. Plesioth are seen in these waters regularly, but hopefully they'll have enough intelligence to stay away at see and away from the shores where the ludroth will be. It was bad enough seeing that Azure Rathalos shooting flames at you. Water beams flying this way and that I can certainly do without," Rain said with a pointed look at Alistair who was still quite visibly bandaged up.

Ignoring the dig, Alistair said, "You can worry about that tomorrow. Right now I really need to get back and collapse in bed. These two aren't going to last much longer either. By the time we get back to the house they will be tired from walking, full from eating, and more than willing to sleep it off thankfully enough."

Tomorrow it was more training and Alistair had a feeling that they wouldn't get through the day without a fight. Of course she wouldn't tell Rain that. She worried about her too much as it was. Today she may have been able to turn away that Azure Rathalos thanks to Rain's knowledge and insight, but she doubted a harem of ludroth or an angry plesioth could be turned aside through intimidation. No tomorrow she would definitely be prepared to fight. After sleeping for a couple hours she would be right back up to get ready for tomorrow. There were bow coatings to mix and prepare as well as some target practice to do after all. It had been a while since Alistair had used a bow instead of a switch-axe and she wanted to make sure she was ready. Her burns were more irritating than anything and she had continued hunting with far worse damage before. It would be embarrassing if something as simple as this kept her from fighting.

* * *

 


	10. Breaking Point

 

* * *

Once again Alistair had convinced Rain to get up early so they could go out to the tide pools down at one end of the beach. Thankfully it was on the other side of the port and well away from the Azure Rathalos territory. Right now she was wearing a lighter armor set and had brought a bow instead of her switch axe. The armor may not be as strong but it did allow for greater flexibility and range of movement. Being this close to the water during the weeks when ludroth were breeding meant they needed to be on the lookout.

Alistair looked over at Ginouji and Akairo who were currently bouncing around the rocks and swimming through the water in the tide pools uncovering all sorts of sea life. Every time they pulled up something new they would come running back to her to see if it was safe to eat. Being as curious as they were they had pulled up more creatures than Alistair knew what to do with. Thankfully Rain was there to take over and after some trepidation both hatchlings were coming back to her for confirmation on what they should and shouldn't eat. Even Ginouji seemed to be warming up to her. Rain claimed that it was because of her "sparkling personality" and Alistair just rolled her eyes at that and shoved her best friend into the water in response. Now both of them were sitting on the rocks while the babies swam around in a shallow pool. Amai was standing a few feet away keeping watch and pretending like she wasn't trying to listen in on their conversation.

Sighing slightly, Alistair finally pried her fingers away from the bow she was holding and laid it down next to her, but she didn't take the quiver off her back. Removing her helmet she put that in her lap and gently touched her face and neck. It seemed the healing mixture Rain came up with yesterday had done its job. Her burn was almost completely healed. It wasn't bad enough burn to require firedouse berries, which was a good thing because she hadn't brought any along with her. Instead the icethaw pellet's icy texture had served mostly for comfort and the herbal mix had done its work overnight. Although Alistair had whined and complained about it the whole time Rain was wrapping her up she had to admit  she knew what she was doing.

Right now though, Alistair was more focused on what the hatchlings were doing. A flock of water halk had settled down just a few minutes ago as well and the babies happy greeting confirmed that it was the same group from yesterday. Right now the halk were off on their own grooming themselves while Ginouji and Akairo played with each other in the water and occasionally snapped up a nearby sea creature to eat.

"He's probably picking up on how close I am to you and responding to that," Alistair said suddenly and Rain opened her eyes. She was laying back letting the sun dry her clothes off, but now she pushed herself up onto her elbows and watched the Silver Rathalos for a couple of seconds. Lifting a hand to shade her eyes from the sun, Rain grinned shamelessly at her best friend.

"I'm telling you. It's my natural charm. Even Ginouji can't resist it," Rain winked at her and wiggled her eyebrows.

"Don't make me push you in the water again," Alistair scowled as Rain sat up and crossed her legs.

"Fine. Fine. I have to agree though. We are very close while Amai is still..." Rain stopped and glanced over at the teenager. "Well... she's Amai. Nice maybe, but clearly not your best friend," she agreed. "It's good to see him starting to warm up to someone else. It's just gonna take some work and patience," she paused and reached over to pinch Alistair's left cheek. "So cute isn't it? He's just like his momma," she cooed and got her fingers bent backwards for her trouble.

"Ow! Geez, woman learn to take a joke will you? You're so irritable all the time now. You never used to be like this," Rain snapped back as she massaged her sore fingers. Immediately, Alistair looked guilty and she pulled her legs up and turned away to stare at the hatchlings. Right away Rain's attitude softened. "Oh, Alistair I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made a joke like that," she apologized, but Alistair just shook her head silently and looked down. Rain opened her mouth to say something else but then looked down and Alistair realized her hands were shaking.

Rain glanced back at Amai who was yawning and rubbing her eyes. Looking back she slid over and leaned closer as Alistair took a shaky breath.

"Rain..." she said quietly, "I had another nightmare last night and I've been having them a lot more recently. I was fine for _months._ Almost a year. What if... what if I'm getting worse again? What if I have another breakdown? I mean I'm trying my best to act like everything is fine, but I've been under so much stress lately thinking about these rathalos hatchlings. I didn't want to take care of them at first, but I couldn't let them go. I mean after what happened with my baby, the last thing I wanted was two little ones to take care of, but I couldn't just leave them alone to be raised by researchers in some sanctuary..." Alistair knew she was wringing her hands, but she couldn't make herself stop. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess and her words and sentences were all running together.

Reaching over, Rain put a hand on her neck and massaged it gently.

"Hey, hey, just slow down," she said softly, but Alistair wasn't hearing it. From the corner of her gaze she could see Amai look their way and say something with a frown on her face.

"I can't do this, Rain. I can't do this. I can't be their mom. I don't want to be their mom. If something happens it will be my fault all over again. I swore I would never put myself through this again after I lost my family. I can't survive years of trying to raise these..." Alistair's voice cracked as she said it, "...these babies. I'm not stable enough for that. I was barely stable enough to be a hunter again. I have no business doing this. My sister was right and I should have left them with her. No matter how much I hated it, no matter how much it killed me I should have left them with her," she squeezed her eyes shut as a tremble shook her body. Now Rain wrapped an arm around her and leaned into her friend as she tried desperately to stabilize her racing thoughts.

Alistair could vaguely hear Amai calling to them, but her mind was going too fast to realize what she was saying.

"You know that's not true, Alistair," Rain said gently. "Those little ones love you and the best place for them is to be right here with you. You came to me for help and I'm going to help you through this. No matter how long it takes. Whether it takes weeks or years... I'm always right here for you. You know that right?" Now Rain used a finger to turn her head and make Alistair look at her. Nodding hesitantly Alistair quickly looked away again. After a moment she inhaled deeply and let it out slowly.

"I know... I know. I'm just... I'm getting worse Rain. I'm getting worse and I can't stop it. You know what they'll do to me if I have a breakdown again," Alistair said as Amai called out to them again more urgently. Looking up she could see Rain's eyes soften before Amai's voice cut through the moment.

"Good lord you two! I'm sorry to interrupt the tender moment here, but we've got trouble!" Amai shouted and both of them looked up to see her pointing towards the water.

All of the water halk had scattered and were currently flying away as fast as they could. Even Ginouji and Akairo had gotten out of the water and were starting to back up towards Alistair. Both were throwing glances over their shoulders and looking up at the fleeing halk. A few ludroth had been scattered around them, but a few threatening sword swipes from Amai were enough to convince them to keep their distance. Now all the ludroth that remained were scattering, some into the water and some farther down the beach as fast as they could go. A huge shape was thrashing around and darting back and forth in the shallows. Its fins sliced through the water as it came closer and darted after a ludroth that managed to slip past it. Alistair immediately knew what it was and quickly slammed her helmet back down on her head and secured it.

"Plesioth," she muttered.

Grabbing her bow, Alistair scrambled to her feet and pulled a coating bottle out of the small pack slung around her shoulders and resting against her side. It was an exhaust coating and it would slow down the plesioth enough for her and Amai to either kill it or drive it off.

"It must have been agitated by all the noise the ludroth and halk were making. Plesioth hate loud noises," Rain noted as the Alistair breathed in and out slowly to regain her focus. Already Ginouji and Akairo were pressing against her legs and looking up at her waiting for their mom to do something.

Alistair cursed as the coating bottle nearly slipped out due to her shaking hands. Finally she slipped it into the holder near the front of the bow. Due to the way the weapon was set up the coating would only pour out onto the arrow-head when the string was pulled back and ready to fire. The longer you held it back the more coating got on the arrow tip and the stronger the effect would be. It also would allow her to keep a certain distance from the plesioth, but Amai wouldn't be as fortunate. She was way out of her league here so Alistair needed to end this fight as quickly as possible.

Alistair was distracted when Rain put her hand over hers. Looking up she could see the worried look in Rain's eyes, but she shook her head and gently gave her best friends shoulder a push.

"Take Ginouji and Akairo and get them back behind the treeline; well behind the treeline. Plesioth are very dangerous and it'll be even more dangerous for Amai. This is way above her Hunter Rank and only the second time I've had to face one myself," Alistair said firmly. "I need to finish this fight as soon as possible. I have to protect myself and keep Amai from getting trampled. If you and the hatchlings aren't in a safe place then I'm going to be distracted and I can't afford that," she emphasized and watched Rain swallow hard before nodding slowly.

"Please be careful, Alistair," Rain said softly before backing up and calling to the hatchlings who fidgeted but didn't move.

"Akairo. Ginouji. Go with Rain," Alistair ordered as she looked back to the plesioth who had come up the beach now and was hissing and thrashing its tail around. Looking back down she settled a firm look at the two rathalos who were reluctantly shuffling their feet. "GO!" she said louder and this time they hurried off and allowed Rain to herd them to safety.

Alistair waited long enough to see Rain lift them up the sandy bank and into the trees, before turning around and stringing an arrow. Quickly she ran over to stand next to Amai who had her weapon drawn and her shield up.

"Anything I need to know first?" Amai asked her face set in a focused look. She may still be a rookie but she hadn't gotten to her current Hunter Rank by playing around either. Alistair thought for a second as the plesioth saw them and roared angrily.

"It loves its water beam and tail spins. If you see it getting ready to fire then move or put your shield up. Don't stand too close to it either. The spines on its tail are sharp enough to run straight through you and its hip slam will easily break your ribs. A plesioth's main weak point is the stomach _not_ the head. When it flops down on its belly it will slide forward just as if it were swimming on land," Alistair rattled off the information as she prepared for battle. "When it's getting ready to fire its water beam it will roll its head around and shoot it straight ahead or hop slightly before standing up and shooting it at an angle. Pay attention to those signs because that water is boiling hot," she warned as the plesioth reared back.

"Like that?!" Amai shouted and jumped the left as Alistair jumped to the right. Moments later a beam of hissing water shot between them.

"Let's go! Keep moving!" Alistair shouted as she fired an arrow into the plesioth's neck. Right away it shook its head to dislodge the arrow, but Alistair readied several more and fired the arrows higher in the air. Her aim was true and the arrows rained down on the plesioth's back. Screaming the monster turned and charged her angrily.

Rolling out of the way, Alistair came to her feet and fired another arrow into its belly as Amai darted forward and slashed at the wyvern's legs. It was far too tall for her to even think of trying to go for its belly, but the legs were good enough. Screeching in surprise the plesioth gave a slight hop to the side and twisted around to bite at Amai. Lifting her shield, Amai blocked the bite and then slammed the shield right into the monster's nose causing it to flinch backwards long enough for her to roll to the side and put some distance between them. Even Alistair felt her lips twitch up at that sight. Innovation was often a hunter's greatest asset.

Aiming carefully, Alistair shot more arrows into its neck attracting the plesioth's attention. Hopping angrily it reared back and fanned its wings out. Recognizing the move, Alistair quickly moved out of the way as a water beam hissed down into the sand where she had just been standing. Amai ran back and slashed away at its legs causing the plesioth to crouch down and go into a tail spin. Thankfully Amai managed to drop and press herself down against the sand just in time for the monster's thick tail to whip past her head.

Scrambling back to her feet Amai held up her shield ready to defend, but the plesioth hesitated and wobbled slightly. Shaking its head the wyvern scratched at its neck and stumbled slightly. Alistair's exhaust shots were doing their job. The coating contained chemicals that interfered with the nerves ability to send signals to the muscles making it harder to move around. Heavily armored monsters were more resistant to it, but this plesioth was covered in scales. Tough scales, but not tough enough to stop arrows. Trying to push past the effect was clearly taking its toll. However, that didn't mean it was ready to give up. This was one angry plesioth and it wasn't going to stop until it had smashed something into pieces. Preferably the two hunters who were currently fighting it.

Flopping down onto its stomach the plesioth slithered forward towards Alistair with startling speed. Unfortunately she was in the middle of switching out her coating bottles.

 _A hunter never hesitates. If your brain doesn't know what to do then let your body take over for you,_ Alistair recited the words in her mind as she automatically grabbed the close range coating bottle and put it in the holder on her bow. Grabbing three arrows she pulled the bow string back and held it for a few seconds before firing them right at the Plesioth's head. All of the arrows exploded on contact with the wyvern's scales causing it to skid to a stop. Scrabbling around on the ground the plesioth hissed in surprise as it lay on its side. It whipped its head around and flapped its fins as it tried to dislodge the arrows.

Darting forward, Amai quickly began using her sword to attack the plesioth's belly as it snapped the arrows off of its head and kicked out with its long legs. One of its kicks knocked Amai back but she got to her feet again and staggered slightly. The plesioth got to its feet and went into a tail spin and followed up with several more first in one direction and then another. It fired off water beams in several directions forcing both hunters to dodge and duck.

Alistair grabbed another arrow and fired it into the plesioth's belly making it take a step back and slip on the rocks it was standing on. Any monster could be deadly, but only if it could catch you. Once again Amai jumped in to slice away at the plesioth's legs, but this time it was ready for her. Regaining its footing the plesioth whipped around into a tail spin sending Amai flying backwards and spraying sand everywhere. For a moment Alistair's breath caught in her throat, but she sighed in relief when she saw Amai's head pop back up. Even from here Alistair could see the large slash marks in her chest armor and the deep grooves now in her shield.

 _She must have gotten her shield up just in time,_ Alistair thought as she ran forward and fired more arrows at the plesioth. All of them exploded slightly on contact causing the plesioth to fly into another rage. Hissing loudly it threw water beams everywhere and charged Amai on its belly several times as Alistair continued firing arrows at it. Close range coating was very effective, but it was also heavier. You had to be closer to the monster or the chemical would cause the already heavy arrows to fall short of the intended target.

Screaming the plesioth fired another water beam at Amai who put her shield up, but the boiling water heated up the metal on the shield so much that Amai finally cried out in pain and dropped it just as the beam ended. Charging forward the plesioth knocked her to the ground with a weak slap of its tail and lifted its foot clearly intending to hold in in place for one final bite.

"Hey! Hey over here you stupid fish!" Alistair called out as she ran dangerously close to it. The plesioth whipped around and immediately caught sight of her. The hesitation was enough for Amai to be able to scramble to her feet and run away. Her shield was forgotten, but she still had her sword.

Rearing back the plesioth fired a water beam at Alistair who rolled to avoid it and then had to dodge three more times as the monster fired again and again at her. Alistair had to pause for a moment to catch her breath and that hesitation cost her dearly.

Seeing its chance the plesioth hopped forward and crouched down. Alistair held her arms up in front of her as the plesioth body slammed her with its hip. The force drove the air from her lungs and knocked her back as the plesioth whipped around with a tail spin. Thankfully its tail spines didn't get her like they did Amai, but its heavy tail slammed straight into her chest and pounded her ribs. A loud SNAP came from the bow as a huge crack skittered up the length of the weapon. The fact that she was holding it up in front of her was the only thing that saved her from having every bone in her upper torso shattered. Alistair was sent flying back where she slammed heavily against the rocks of the tide pool and cracked her head on the ground.

Being body slammed and tail slapped by a monster that was easily a few thousand pounds was no joke. It was more than enough to disorient her and Alistair could only lay there stunned for a moment as the plesioth stepped on her with its foot pressing down heavily on her already sre chest. Rearing back it opened its mouth to fire another water beam down on her.

 _I can't breathe. Did it break my ribs?_ Alistair's thoughts were muddled and all she could do was fumble around weakly for her damaged bow.

A loud war cry came from behind her and the plesioth looked up just in time for a large sword to fly straight into its mouth. Tossing its head back with a gargled croak the wyvern stumbled several steps backwards before slipping and falling to its side. Its feet scrabbled desperately for purchase on the slick rocks of the tide pool.

Alistair felt a pair of arms helping her up and she rolled her head back to see Amai's face staring down at her as the girl tried to help her up. Feeling something ooze down her legs Alistair looked down and realized the bag holding her coating bottles was stained. She must have fallen on it when she got knocked back. Her right leg was stinging painfully. Some shards of glass from the coating bottles had ripped through the bag and torn into her leg just above where her armored leggings ended. Thankfully she'd only bought three bottles.

 _Danger... still... danger..._ Alistair tried to say it but it was like her chest muscles were locked in place. She couldn't draw in a breath and no words came out of her throat. Instead she gestured urgently to her bow and Amai hesitated for a just a second as her eyes darted over to the plesioth who was finally managing to stand up on shaky legs. Grabbing the bow Amai handed it to Alistair along with a few arrows. Moving behind Alistair, the younger hunter groaned loudly from her own wounds, but managed to support her sagging body long enough for the woman to lean back and fire a rain of arrows down onto the plesioth. The strain snapped the bow fully along its length and the string snapped apart with a loud TWANG slicing Alistair across the cheek.

The close range coating combined with the rain of arrows and Amai's last ditch sword throw were enough to bring it crashing back down to the ground where it lay twitching and gasping. Both hunters watched it tensely. Amai had no shield and her sword was still stuck deep in the wyvern's mouth. Alistair's bow had snapped and while the large arrows could be used as hand weapons if necessary, she was in no condition to try it and Amai was too busy trying to keep her from falling over to try it herself.

Finally after a few more twitches and weak tail slaps the plesioth's body sagged and it stopped moving. For a few moments the only sound was from the waves gently crashing against the shore and lapping against the rocks of the tide pool they were at the edge of. It was dead.

Unfortunately there was no time for them to relax. Alistair's body had already started to sag back towards the ground. Grunting from the effort, Amai managed to help her sit back down on the ground where she doubled over and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Are you okay? Does your chest hurt? Stupid question obviously it hurts. Umm... ohh... ribs! Are your ribs broken?" Amai asked her hands fluttering around as she tried to figure out what to do. Alistair shook her head, but curled her body up even tighter. Why couldn't she breathe? She couldn't even move her chest up and down.

"Okay, okay. Doctor. We've got to get you to a doctor," Amai said and looked down at her own torn armor. "Me too. All right, calm down," she said chewing her thumbnail with worry as Rain came running over to them. Both rathalos hatchlings were close behind her wings spread as they hurried back to their mother.

Once they got there both babies crowded around their mother, but then backed up again when they saw that she was injured. Ginouji started whimpering and looked up at Rain with a pitiful cry begging her to do something to help. Akairo hesitantly approached Alistair and crouched down next to her with his head resting against her arm. Rain kneeled down in front of Alistair as Amai hovered nearby chewing on her fingernails nervously. Alistair's hands were starting to shake and the look on her face clearly said that she was starting to panic.

Carefully Rain removed the helmet on Alistair's head and set it off to the side in the sand. Leaning forward she gently felt around the back of Alistair's head to see if there was any damage. Not finding any she settled back and took the woman's face in her hands. Alistair did have her eyes squeezed shut from the pain, but now she opened them and stared back with wide eyes.

"Don't panic. I know it feels bad, but it doesn't seem like your choking or anything so you must be getting air somehow. Maybe your body is just in shock. The feeling should pass in a few minutes, okay?" Rain said and Alistair nodded shakily and looked down at Akairo who was still pressed against her. His little body was trembling, but he wasn't crying or whimpering like Ginouji was. For a second Alistair's lips pulled up, but then she started biting her lower lip and the panicked look returned to her eyes.

"Hey, hey! Look at me!" Rain said urgently and Alistair looked back at her and shook her head firmly. "I know what you're thinking. These babies aren't going anywhere, okay? You know I'm not going to let that happen right?" she asked feeling her friend trembling beneath her hands. "You know I'm _never_ going to let something bad like that happen right? I promised you I'd do _everything_ I could to help you didn't I?" she said it more as a statement then a question and after a second Alistair nodded slowly. Rain's face softened and she brushed a strand of hair out of Alistair's face.

"I'm here. I'm not going to let Ginouji and Akairo get taken away from you. I'm not going to let them lock you up again and if even if they do you know I'll do anything it takes to get you back out of there, right?" Rain said again and Alistair trembled, but nodded. "I know how it was for you before. I know how traumatizing it was... and how bad those memories still are for you. But I promise you things are different here. The Guild has special doctors now and they work with hunters who have the same problem you do. You're not alone and they are going to get you _real_ help this time. They'll make you better. Not just pour medicine into you and lock you up," Rain said but Alistair was already shaking her head.

"Hey, come on look at me," Rain urged and Alistair looked at her again still obviously unsure. "You said before that you trusted me. That you knew I would never lie to you or do anything to hurt you, didn't you?" she asked and the woman looked guilty and nodded slowly. "Then I need you to trust me now. You're hurt and we need to get you to a doctor so they can see about your physical injuries and then they'll help you with your..." Rain paused and glanced over at Amai who was looking back and forth between the two with a mix of worry and curiosity. "Your... umm, other problems," she finished instead.

Alistair grimaced but nodded in consent and Rain lifted her right arm and put it around her shoulders. Carefully she helped the hunter to her feet as Amai ran back to get her sword and shield. The shield was damaged and she'd have to get a new one, but it was still better than nothing and it had saved her from being impaled by the plesioth's tail spines earlier. Besides if they met up with any more monsters then it would be up to her to protect them. Hurrying back over Amai also picked up Alistair's broken bow. It probably couldn't be fixed, but that didn't mean it was totally worthless.

"Ready?" Rain asked her as she wrapped an arm around Alistair's waist to keep the woman from falling over. Her chest was clearly bothering her and her legs were wobbling with every step she tried to take.

Amai nodded and they set off at a slow pace back to the city.

* * *

They had walked about two miles before they came across a large garden that was being tended by some felyne. Upon seeing them the felynes had immediately rushed over to help them and had moved some baskets of vegetables off one of their aptonoth carts so they could bring the group back into town. Felyne's as a group were always helpful creatures and Amai was immensely grateful for that fact now. Her chest muscles were burning with every breath and her arms were like jelly. It was all she could do not to drop her sword and shield right then and there and forget about them.

One of the felyne's rushed ahead to notify the Guild about the dead plesioth. They would send somebody out to recover it and carve it up. It certainly would not be left there as waste. Likely they would sell most of it in the market and save the finer items for Amai and Alistair to pick up later after they had given a report on what happened.

Now they were sitting in the back of the wooden cart hurrying back to the city along a large hard-packed road. Surprisingly or perhaps not so surprisingly it was Akairo who was the most calm. Although he fidgeted nervously he didn't make a sound and instead had snuggled up next to Alistair and kept nuzzling her when her tremors got worse. Ginouji on the on the other hand refused to sit still. He kept moving back and forth across the cart as they rolled along crying and whimpering to himself as Rain took care of Alistair.

Amai didn't have the slightest idea of what to do or what was going on. So she had just moved off to the side so she'd be out of the way. Rain however was stuck to Alistair's side like glue and she kept talking to her the entire way. About halfway to the city Alistair had started breathing visibly again with her chest rising and falling in a short gasping wheeze, but something else was clearly going on. Her eyes were darting from place to place and her hands and body kept shaking. If Rain didn't keep her arm around her shoulders she would start rocking back and forth or hold Akairo to her chest as if someone was going to rip the baby away from her at any second. When Alistair finally got the breath to talk in painful, halting words it was the same things over and over again.

_Don't let them take me away. They're going to take the hatchlings away from me. They're going to see me having another breakdown and lock me up again. Don't let them lock me up. I should never have taken Ginouji and Akairo. I wasn't ready for this. I can't handle this._

It was the same general line of thought repeated every couple of minutes. However, one thing Amai really had to admire was the way Rain handled the situation. No matter how many times Alistair's thoughts starting circling around again she was always there to comfort and reason with her until she calmed down a little. When Alistair started worrying and stressing out again a few minutes later Rain never got upset. She never got angry or showed even the slightest amount of irritation. She just started all over again telling the woman that everything was going to be all right and that she wasn't going to let any of those bad things happen to her.

Amai didn't know what Alistair was referring to exactly, but the pieces were starting to fall into place. Back home in the mountains she'd taken every opportunity to go into the city. Once she was there she would sit inside the warm enclosed tavern and listen to the hunter's tell stories beside the fire. Some of them also had horror stories of other hunters who became angry, violent, self destructive, and started hallucinating weeks or months after coming back from a hunt that went bad. Others would get hurt or watch a partner die and would avoid talking about what happened and start avoiding other people altogether. They had trouble remembering things and couldn't focus. The woman who had gotten Amai interested in hunting talked about one person who had nightmares and episodes that could last for hours or even days. Episodes where he would relive a quest that had gone wrong years before.

Until now Amai had never put much faith in those tales. To her those stories were just that; stories meant to frighten young naïve hunters and get them to pay attention and realize how dangerous these monsters they were facing really were. Now she was starting to reevaluate that point of view.

The idea that emotional damage was just as harmful to a person as a physical injury was a relatively new idea. Amai knew that doctors capable of treating such problems had only started popping up in the last few decades and having a diagnosis officially recognized took years. Plus those doctors that did exist could be far and few between. Amai knew of one person in the city back home who clearly had been suffering from something, but the closes doctor who treated mental problems was hundreds of miles away. So when he acted up all they did was haul him off to the hospital and keep him sedated or locked up until his episode passed and they were sure he wouldn't hurt anyone again.

 _Alistair keeps saying that she doesn't want them to take her away again. Earlier today she was talking about her baby and then about Ginouji and Akairo. So..._ Amai frowned and rubbed her aching chest as she tried to figure things out. _So maybe what happened with her baby and her husband traumatized her somehow? I mean she gave me some details, but she made it clear that she was too tired to tell me the rest. Clearly there's more that happened that I don't know about,_ she thought as she glanced back over at Alistair who was now leaning against Rain. For a few minutes she would seem like she was aware of what was going on around her, but then she would slip back and become consumed by her worries all over again.

 _Did they do that to Alistair too? Just lock her up when she got bad again because they didn't know how else to help her? Or simply didn't want to?_ Amai considered her stomach turning at the idea.

A short time later they were in town at the hospital. It was a large sprawling wood building. There was a large door on the side and the felyne pulled the cart up to the doors. A few seconds later a man in simple blue and green clothes rushed out. Those colors meant he was a nurse and Amai was so glad to see him she could have hugged the man. Rain helped Alistair over to the edge of the cart and then hopped down.

"I'm going to go talk to the nurse and whatever doctor is working right now and let them know what's going on. I'll just be a few minutes and then I'll be _right back_ for you okay?" Rain said softly, but Alistair just kept her head down and didn't respond. Sighing slightly, Rain stepped back and hesitated a moment before walking inside with the nurse to talk with him privately.

Shifting position, Amai scooted over until she was sitting next to Alistair who was still trembling. Akairo was stuck to her side and kept nudging her or licking her arm gently. Ginouji had stopped crying, but still fidgeting and paced nervously beside his mother.

"Didn't want... never wanted... you... see me... this," Alistair gasped out suddenly as her body shook once again, but it took a moment before Amai figured out what the woman was trying to say.

_I never wanted you to see me like this._

_Oh great now I'm going to start crying,_ Amai thought as she tried unsuccessfully to swallow the lump in her throat. Never before had she felt so very far out of her league. What was she supposed to say? More than anything she wanted Rain to come back and handle this, but she wasn't here right now. So instead Amai took a deep breath and put her arm around Alistair's trembling shoulders. For a second she felt Alistair's body tense and Amai almost pulled away, but she stopped when she saw a tear slide down Alistair's face. Lifting a shaky hand Alistair immediately brushed it away and turned her head as her jaw clenched as more tears fell.

 _Is she embarrassed? She tries hard to come off as strong and to keep others away from her. It must be so terrible to feel yourself losing control and not be able to stop it or do anything about it,_ Amai thought and she felt guilty for every bad thought she'd ever had about how aggravating the woman was. No wonder Alistair was so standoffish and withdrawn around people. Amai was also starting to understand why she was so close with Rain. Their earlier conversation suggested that she had helped Alistair through these episodes before.

 _Well the village elders often said that everyone has a story and I clearly haven't even begun to scratch the surface of Alistair's,_ Amai considered as Rain came back out and helped Alistair down off the back of the cart.

* * *

 


	11. Getting Offf On The Wrong Foot

 

* * *

As soon as they entered the hospital a nurse grabbed Amai and pulled her away to be examined while another took Alistair and Rain down the hallway ahead of them and out of sight.

Now Amai was sitting alone on a medical bed wondering what had happened to Alistair. Here at the hospital there was one big area lined with beds on both sides with bamboo walls separating them from each other. There was also a curtain in front that could be drawn to provide a little more privacy. In front of the entrance they had come through there was a large counter off to the right with a long hallway beside it and another shorter hallway straight ahead of the door. That short hallway was the one they had ushered Alistair down and Amai was dying to jump out of this bed and run off to find her.

Not knowing what was going on was driving her to the end of her patience. Every Hunter knew the Guild code to never leave a hunter behind and never abandon a hunter in need. You never quit and lefta hunter to finish a quest alone and you never, _ever_ left behind a fellow hunter who is injured. It was drilled into the new rookies until they saw it, breathed it, and recited it in their sleep. As a result, Amai was driving herself crazy with worry. What if Rain had to leave for some reason? What about the babies? They'd have to remove them from the room or the area to treat Alistair effectively. Would that set her off even more? Had her symptoms gotten worse? Had they gotten better?

Letting out an irritated hiss, Amai turned her attention back to herself. The doctor had finished her examination and smeared some medicine over the large scratch marks on her chest. After that a nurse had put some warm pads on them and wrapped some bandages around her. Thankfully her injuries weren't bad enough for her to require a hospital stay overnight, but she had been given some instructions on how to keep her cuts clean and prevent infection. The doctor also gave her a prescription to take to the local apothecary shop beside the hospital. They would give her the medicine and bandages she needed when she got out of here. One good point was that she got hurt while fighting a monster in self-defense so once the report was reviewed the Guild should pay the hospital bill. The apothecary prescription would be on her though.

However, Amai hadn't been expecting it to take so long. Seven hours to patch her up seemed more than a bit ridiculous to her. Sure hospitals take time and they had to be sure she wasn't going to get infected and didn't have broken ribs and stuff, but seven hours? Amai didn't know what time it was but she did know that it must be sundown or later. Still there was one more thing she had to do.

"Are you _sure_ you can't tell me anything about Alistair?" Amai asked as she put her hands together and tried to look as sad and pitiful as possible. Unfortunately hospital protocol proved too powerful for even her sad puppy eyes to overcome. The nurse just smiled and shook her head slowly.

"I've already told you what I can and that's only because you're a hunter like she is. Alistair's mental and emotional condition did worsen, but the doctors have her symptoms under control now. That armor she was wearing kept her from breaking her ribs, but they are badly bruised and it will take at least three to four weeks to heal. Now I'm sorry but you're not listed in her Guild Record so I'm not authorized to be any more detailed than that," she replied before getting up and leaving the bedside.

Scowling Amai tapped her legs restlessly before standing up so she could finish getting dressed. She may still be a little inexperienced but she did know how healthcare for hunters worked. Lots of villages and towns had medicine men or women and bigger cities had clinics and physicians, but official hospitals like this were set up by the Guild specifically to service hunters. They also helped the general public as well but injured hunters were foremost. They were all required to keep a copy of the Record of Consent every hunter filled out when they were first accepted by the Guild. It was just a couple sheets of paper listing who could and could not receive medical information about them and who was able to make decisions for them should they be incapacitated. Alistair must have Rain listed in her record, because Amai had caught a glimpse of the woman talking with a doctor as they walked past the room she was in.

Now that she was officially free to go and had her prescription in hand she could finally sneak around and see what happened to Alistair. Amai's chest armor was ripped to shreds and had worn out even more during the walk back towards the city. However, she still had a short-sleeved shirt to wear even if it did make her look a bit strange to be wearing it with her waist and leg armor. Sure it was ripped across the stomach and had a gfew other wounds a bit higher up, but it was better than nothing and she was wrapped in bandages underneath. She hesitated for a moment before grabbing her sword and shield. It might make her look a bit more suspicious but she wasn't just going to leave them behind.

 _Now to start looking,_ Amai considered as she walked to the curtain and poked her head out. Aside from a few nurses checking in on other patients it was pretty quiet. They used very simple wire and glass lights here while the electricity that powered them was probably generated by the dozens of windmills down by the market and tavern. She had also seen someone transporting thunderbugs in glass jars so they probably used them as backup power. Standing as straight as she could, Amai tried to walk through the room like she knew exactly where she was going.

A few nurses glanced up at her but quickly went back to whatever they were working on. The two doctors she saw were talking and didn't give her a second glance. Pleased with herself, Amai hurried to the end of the shorter hallway, but didn't see anyone familiar in any of the rooms she looked in. Besides it ended in a pair of double doors with a guard sitting in a chair next to them. It was probably best to avoid that. Still she had thought for sure that Alistair had come down here. Disappointed Amai turned around and tried the other hallway but it split off into three others all lined with identical looking rooms.

 _Where is Rain?_ _And what about Ginouji and Akairo?_ _Shouldn't_ _they_ _be around here somewhere? Or maybe_ _Rain_ _'s sitting with Alistair,_ Amai considered as she stood there trying to decide what to do. Then again maybe she was in a more secure part of the hospital. There was that set of double doors with a rather bored looking guard at the end. She had just turned around before, but what if Alistair was down there? Of course if they wouldn't give her any information about Alistair before then they certainly weren't going to let her just waltz on by into a guarded area.

Grumbling to herself, Amai put her hands on her hips and scowled at a sign showing directions as if it would give her some ideas. Feeling a tap on her shoulder, Amai braced herself and turned around ready to explain why she was here. Instead she met a sun tanned man with short blonde brown hair and hazel eyes. Very gorgeous eyes at that.

In his arms was some kind of bundle wrapped in a blanket and he was holding it as if he were afraid that it would jump out of his hands at any minute. His tan and muscles suggested that he might be a sailor of some kind. He had a plain sleeveless black tunic on and dark gray shorts. On his left arm was a large tattoo of a zinogre and curled around his right arm was an equally large tattoo of an Abyssal Lagiacrus. Both had electricity dancing around them. They were beautiful works of art and it took several seconds of staring before Amai managed to tear her eyes away from them.

"Umm... hi?" Amai asked and silently cursed herself for not coming up with something a bit more eloquent. The guy fidgeted and looked down at his sandals as his cheeks darkened. Was he blushing?

"Are you Amai? My sister told me to go find an impatient young hunter with white hair who looked a bit lost," he said glancing up to her hair as he spoke. Amai touched her hair and realized how much of a stringy mess it was right now. Helmet hair had always been her worst enemy. Then she thought about what he just said and made a face at that description.

"Yes, I'm Amai and you are...?" she paused as the guy's eyes finally slid back up to meet hers. Shifting the bundle in his arms he extended a hand to her.

"I'm Storm. Rain's older brother," he said simply as he shook her hand firmly before holding the bundle tighter. This time it yelped and the blanket shifted. Raising an eyebrow curiously, Amai watched as Storm flushed once again and pulled one end of the blanket back allowing a small canine head popped out. Amai could feel her heart melt away in her chest as the tiny creature blinked and looked up at her with bright blue eyes.

"Awww! A zinogre puppy!" Amai squealed as she leaned closer to the puppy who yawned and looked around to see where it was. Its ears were still flopped over and there were tiny bumps on its head where horns would one day grow in. There were similar bumps on the sides of its paws as well. Whimpering it struggled around in Storm's arms as it tried to get away, but he just tightened his grip to prevent it from slipping out of his arms.

"A hunter found this little guy sitting alone. His mother was found dead less than a mile away next to a half-eaten carcass," Storm said as he stared down at the puppy who had finally accepted the fact that that he couldn't get away and settled down.

"Poor thing. He must be scared of being alone and scared of being in such a strange place," Amai said as she wiggled a finger in front of the puppy's nose. It stared for a minute before leaning forward and sniffing her finger curiously. As much as she would love to just coo over how adorable it was she had actually come this way for a reason.

"Sorry. Focus. Right. You said Rain told you to come find me?" Amai asked as she pulled mind back to the right track.

Storm nodded and gestured towards back behind him before saying, "Yeah, she figured you would want to come and see how Alistair was doing." He took a step back so she could follow him. Amai skipped up beside him and glanced up as they walked. He may be awfully good to look at, but he sure didn't seem like much of a conversationalist. Every time he spoke it was like he couldn't wait to finish and get the focus off himself. Unfortunately for him, she was not one to tolerate silence for very long.

Amai stayed quiet until they got back to the doors she had seen before. She even kept silent when Storm talked to the guard and said that it was okay for her to come in and visit Alistair. Once they were through and into the relatively empty hallway beyond however, her patience came to a quick end. Not knowing the details of what was going on for seven hours had eaten away at her patience and Amai's nerves were now a frayed mess. And for her the best way to deal with nervousness was to talk in order go to get her mind off the problem.

"So what did they do? I mean I've been here for seven hours and they would only tell me the basics," Amai said as she leaned forward a little to look him in the eyes. Storm glanced over at her, but quickly looked away again.

"Mild sedatives," he mumbled as the puppy continued to squirm and twist in his arms. It took all of Amai's will power not to roll her eyes. She knew they were going to do that before they even got here to the hospital. Time to try again.

"Okaaayyyyy. Why mild sedatives? Why not something stronger? I mean she was pretty freaked out when we got here," Amai prodded curiously.

Storm fidgeted slightly and added, "She doesn't react well to normal sedatives. They slow her down too much and some of the plants they might normally use to help stabilize a person's mood can make her paranoid. So they just used a small dose of some new sedatives instead. They gave her a bigger dose an hour ago so she might be sleeping now."

Much better, but still not quite enough. Amai stuck her hands in her pockets to keep them from fidgeting and picking nervously at her clothes.

"Slow her down? What like she's totally out of it and can't focus and concentrate and stuff?" Amai continued pressing for information. Storm sighed and turned to face her.

"Do you always talk like this?" He asked with a look of mild irritation and Amai nodded in response.

"Yep. I can tell it drives Alistair crazy," she said as a nervous giggle escaped her lips. Flushing with embarrassment she cleared her throat. "Sorry. I'm just really nervous. I want to make sure she's okay," she told him. Her nerves were really starting to get the better of her.

Storm just nodded and motioned down the hallway to indicate that they needed to keep going. They soon came to a door on the left with a number painted on it. On the right side of the door was Alistair's name and the name of the doctor treating her. Storm paused for a moment and moved in front of the door, effectively blocking her view of the small window. He also spoke up before she could voice her objections about it.

"Rain left the hospital long enough to leave me a note at the house for when I got back," Storm explained simply. "The sedatives mess with her mind so if Alistair is awake she won't be able to answer or talk much. So no asking incessant questions. Alistair needs her rest so try to be quiet," he gave her a pointed look and Amai rolled her eyes.

"Fine, fine. I can take a hint, I'm not that naive you know," Amai said as she pulled her finger across her mouth in a zipping motion. While he didn't look entirely convinced, Storm still stepped aside and let her open the door and walk inside.

The first thing she noticed was Alistair in the bed with both Ginouji and Akairo laying on either side of her legs. Her bed was sitting up at an angle and she was clearly on some pretty powerful stuff if her glazed expression was anything to go by. Sitting next to the bed was rather worried looking Rain, but on the other side was a doctor who was taking Alistair's pulse, looking at her eyes, and writing things down on the pad in his hand. Akairo lifted his head at her voice and squeaked out a greeting. Rain looked at her briefly before turning right back to Alistair.

"So what's wrong with her? She's going to get better isn't she?" Amai blurted out as soon as they were inside and the doctor had finished writing. The doctor glanced over at her and tapped his lips a couple of times and looked over at Rain who nodded to him.

"It's okay she's..." Rain hesitated for a moment, "She's a friend."

Accepting that the doctor took the pad in his hand and put it away in his white coat before answering.

"I'm afraid your friend here is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and has been for some time. It is a problem that affects quite a number of hunters but it was only officially recognized by doctors recently. Well recently in our profession at least," he answered as Amai walked over and sat down in the chair next to Rain. "It happens when a person goes through a very traumatic event. There are a variety of symptoms but having flashbacks and reliving the event for minutes, hours, or days at a time is one of them and that's what was starting to happen today. I'm afraid that Alistair here also has..." he paused for a moment and flipped through the pad in his hand. "Nightmares, irritability, avoidance of activities she once loved, and difficulty maintaining close relationships. None of those are uncommon," he explained as Amai thought about that.

"Is that why you gave her sedatives?" she questioned as she crossed and uncrossed her arms unable to settled down.

"Yes. She was getting worse and starting to have flashbacks in increasing periods of time. A hunter of her strength could seriously injure someone. Thankfully she agreed to let us sedate her before that could happen. Although we'd like to keep her for several days it's evident from her past history that keeping her here would likely only aggravate her symptoms. We hope to have her released tomorrow night and return two or three times a week for therapy sessions," he explained as he put his pen away in his coat.

"So you can help her? I mean she's going to get better right?" Amai asked hopefully as the doctor patted Alistair on the arm and walked back over towards her and the door.

"That depends. With some medication from the apothecary as well as therapy sessions it is possible for her to get better and to improve. It will take a lot of effort on her part, but if she's willing to let us help then she will get better and finally be able to move on with her life. That's not to say she'll be completely cured, however," he addressed Rain this time and she tore her eyes away from Alistair to pay attention to him. "Although she can arrive at the point where she is able to move on in life that does not mean she won't have symptoms in the future. She could go months or years before symptoms of this disorder come up again, but her therapy sessions will equip her to accept that fact and to deal with it when it comes so that episodes like this do not have to happen again," the doctor concluded as Rain stood up and walked over to shake his hand.

"Thank you so much for your help and understanding. I'm so glad there are doctors here who understand this now. A few years ago she just would have been institutionalized and locked up until she was calm enough to be released," Rain said as bitterness crept into her voice at the end.

The doctor shook his head sadly at that. "Unfortunately you're right. Although the Guild has invested countless zeni into researching this and training their healers to deal with and treat it in recent years. Such efforts have gone a long way towards helping hunters around the world, but there are still plenty of places where such knowledge is slow in coming and archaic efforts only serve to make many of those suffering from such a condition worse. I know it will be hard for Alistair to trust us, but I promise we will not be resorting to such heavy-handed methods here," he stated firmly before bowing politely to all of them. Storm was still standing by the door, but now he stepped aside so the doctor could leave the room.

As soon as he was gone Storm turned around and stared at Amai with a frown pulling at his lips. Immediately she held a finger up to stop him before he could say anything.

"You said not to ask _Alistair_ any questions and I didn't. So technically I'm still listening to what you said," Amai told him with a satisfied twinkle in her eyes. Storm opened his mouth, but then shut it when he realized she was right so instead he just grunted and went to stand on the other side of the hospital bed across from Rain. Pleased with herself Amai turned to Rain who was still standing there looking upset and nervous.

"Is it okay if I go over to her?" Amai asked carefully and chewed her thumbnail anxiously. Rain blinked and shook her head as if clearing her thoughts.

"Yeah, its okay. Just don't... she... she's not really herself right now. Her thoughts are pretty fuzzy due to the sedatives and when she does try to respond it takes her a while," Rain took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh as she explained.

Amai nodded to show she understood and then slid around Rain so she could walk over to the side of the bed. Alistair's eyes had been closed, but now they opened and followed her movement as she came up beside her. Ginouji lifted his head at first, but then laid back down and stared at her, but it wasn't the suspicious "leave me alone" glare that he had been showing her previously. Amai leaned over with her arms on the bed railing.

"Hey there. Did you hear the doctor? You should be out of here by tomorrow night," she said forcing a smile on to her face. For a moment Alistair just stared at her before her brow furrowed slightly. It took several long seconds before she could formulate an answer though.

"Not... soon enough," Alistair slurred as her head fell to one side and she closed her eyes again. She looked so exhausted. So... weak. The woman looked like she could even get a drink of water by herself. Biting her lower lip, Amai reminded herself not to cry and instead sucked in a breath to steady her emotions. Reaching out she grabbed Alistair's hand and squeezed it.

"I'm glad you're okay. I was so worried about you," Amai's voice cracked and she squeezed Alistair's hand tighter. It was true. From the moment they were separated she hadn't stopped worrying about whether she was okay. It's not like she currently had any other hunters as close friends and those friends she once had back home were angry at her for leaving. Sure Alistair may be grumpy and irritable but now Amai could see that she had good reason for that. Besides despite whatever personal problems she had, Alistair had still taken the time to help her. Grudgingly maybe, but it still counted in her mind.

It took a couple of seconds before Alistair's squeezed her hand back and said, "Thanks... for... earlier." For a moment Amai wanted to protest, but then stopped and thought about it. All she'd done was put her arm around her, but evidently that meant something to Alistair. Granted it had been almost two weeks or so since they first met but still in all that time Alistair had never really thanked her or shown much appreciation towards her for anything. Sometimes she barely tolerated her presence especially if she had just woken up. So instead a small smile pulled at Amai's lips.

"Hey it's gonna take more than that to get rid of me," she stated honestly. Alistair swallowed hard and turned away seeming embarrassed by the display of emotion. Amai took the hint and stood up. Moving away from the bed she allowed Rain to move her chair closer. She had been starting to fidget impatiently anyway. So while Rain resumed her worried hovering over Alistair, Amai wandered over to Storm and looked at the zinogre puppy in his arms.

"Awww, the poor guy is starting to drool. Does he do that when he gets nervous?" Amai asked as she took the edge of the blanket and wiped his mouth off. Looking up she saw Storm nod silently and it took all of her willpower not to sigh in exasperation.

It was going to be a long night, Alistair wasn't feeling well after her episode and the sedatives. There was Rain but she was too busy helping Alistair right now to pay attention to anything else. So that left Storm who seemed rather content to just sit there and fade into the shadows. Unfortunately for him, if Amai didn't find something to keep her occupied then her emotions were going to spill over and that would only make the situation worse for everyone.

"So when did you find him? The beginning of the trip or later into it?" she tried again as the puppy whimpered and ducked its head back under the blanket. Storm just shrugged and stared down at his arms. Seriously? Amai continued to stare at him until Storm finally looked up. Gritting his teeth a bit he looked away as his face began to turn a light shade of pink.

"About three days into the trip," Storm finally answered. Amai rocked back on her heels and put her head in her hands as she considered that.

"That still does nothing to answer my question you know," she finally stated and Storm blanched and turned a more obvious red.

"Closer to the end. Trip lasted about five days. Hunters wanted to gather some other resources and hunt down some monsters for item parts since we were out there anyway," he clarified in a low mumble.

"Are you planning on keeping him?" Amai asked as the puppy slowly poked its head out to see if she was still there. When it met her eyes it instantly pulled back again. Storm's body tensed and she could see that he was getting more and more irritated.

"Don't know yet," he said curtly and Amai pursed her lips.

"Well I can take care of him if you don't have the time. I helped my cousin raise a pair of zinogre puppies back in my home village. I used to have a halk of my own, but she's been dead for quite a while now. So I would love to have a partner at my side again," Amai said trying to insert a friendly tone into her voice.

Now Storm sighed heavily and his hands tightened. Flashing her an aggravated look he snapped back at her, "Look, I just got back into the port and found out that a friend of mine is in the hospital. So I'm sorry but I'm really not in the mood to talk to you or anyone else right right now so would you just leave me alone? All you're doing by talking is making things more uncomfortable for everyone. I already told you Alistair needed her rest so would you do us all a favor and just shut up already?"

Amai opened her mouth and then shut it. Standing up she clenched her fists and glared down at him.

"Well excuse me for trying to be friendly then! If you disliked my presence so much you should have just said that in the beginning!" Amai said as tears finally sprang up in her eyes. "Obviously I'm nothing but an annoying pest right now so I might as well leave since I'm doing nothing of any use here anyway!" she choked out before turning and fleeing the room.

* * *

Storm looked incredibly guilty and he deserved every shred of guilt that he felt right now. He kept looking over her way, but Rain was not helping her brother this time. Earlier Rain could tell just from the way the girl kept fidgeting that she was upset and her talking was just a way of trying to deal with it. However, Storm's way of dealing with emotional events like this was to sit off to the side and not talk to anyone so she really wasn't surprised that they had clashed this way. She could understand his worry and stress but that was no excuse for snapping at Amai like that. She was just as tense as they were. Probably more so after having to fight that plesioth.

Alistair was sleeping right now as was Akairo. Ginouji would settle down for a little bit before lifting his head to look at his mother. Then he would lay back down again and close his eyes.

Rain was sitting there with a book in her hands pointedly ignoring the increasingly uncomfortable looks her brother was shooting her way.

_5, 4, 3, 2, 1_

"I didn't mean to snap at her like that," Storm finally said as he shifted restlessly in his seat. Rain finally looked up from her book to stare at him.

"Well then maybe you should have thought about that before you made her cry," she said with little sympathy. Swallowing hard, Storm stared at his feet. Rain knew what that look meant. It was his "the guilt is eating me alive" look.

"I just... I was looking forward to going home and relaxing. Then when I saw your note at home at got worried. I didn't know if Alistair was okay or how bad her episode was this time and I thought about when you were in the hospital after dad..." he stopped and ran a hand through his hair. "I just panicked, okay?" he looked up at her but Rain brushed off his words.

"Don't look at me. I'm not the one you need to be apologizing to right now. You're the one who upset her so you are the one that needs to go out and talk to her I understand all of us being tense but you still need to apologize," Rain told him as she closed her book. Grimacing visibly Storm looked towards the door like it might bite him. "Yes. Words. Those things adults use to communicate with each other. Ever heard of them?" she added snidely and his eyes snapped back to her with a spark of irritation in them.

"Sorry," she apologized knowing she was the one going too far this time. Putting her book off on the small table by Alistair bed, Rain tried again.

"Look. Aside from today Amai really hasn't done much. Now I'm just a civilian like you but I do know that the one thing hunters hate more than anything else is feeling useless. Men and women. It's a pride thing. Sure maybe she delivered the deathblow to a big bad plesioth today, but what happened after that? Alistair starts panicking and freaking out and all she can do is sit there like a bump on a log and stare at her fingernails while we ride back to town. She can't help her emotionally, can't help her physically, and when we do finally get to the hospital they separate her from her hunting partner and won't tell her anything of any real value for the next seven hours," Rain said the words with careful emphasis and she could see her brother squirming uncomfortably.

"Amai is a talkative person anyway. She was talking to avoid thinking too much and getting overly emotional about the situation. I wasn't exactly eager to listen to her either if I'm being honest but I can recognize that everyone handles things differently," Rain said. When Storm looked down at the zinogre puppy in his arms she added, "And I'll take care of your little ward while you're out."

Letting out a soft sigh, Storm stood up and walked over to her so he could hand the puppy over. Ginouji lifted his head again to watch the exchange curiously. After that was done Storm hesitated and rubbed his hands on his shorts, but a sharp look from Rain prompted him to get moving again.

* * *

Amai sniffed and tried again to wipe her tears away. She knew it wasn't fair to snap at Storm like that and she knew he must be worried too. After all he came home from a week away from home and learned that his sister and friend were at the hospital. She didn't know how much information he had before coming here, but she couldn't imagine Rain wanting to be away from the hospital long enough to write a detailed note.

 _We're all stressed out tonight and he doesn't seem like the type to talk much anyway. Besides he did tell me to be quiet and I come in and just start shooting my mouth off again anyway, completely ignoring everything he just told me,_ Amai thought with a tearful sniff. Besides she was basically an uninvited guest in his house and she hadn't been very useful so far. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Amai nodded her head decisively. _I need to try this again. If I am going to continue to stay here then we need to get off on a better foot than this,_ she thought before letting out her breath and turning around.

Amai nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Storm standing there behind her staring off to the side and rubbing his head nervously.

"Good grief! Please tell me you don't make a habit out of doing that to people," Amai put a hand to her chest as her heart threatened to beat right out of her chest. Shuffling his feet in embarrassment he took a deep breath and glanced back at her before looking away again.

"I didn't mean to snap like that. I'm just... hospitals hold a lot of bad memories for me. Not just because of Alistair but because of my sister as well. Being here is making me really tense that's all," Storm said as he finally looked at her, but it didn't take long before his eyes slid back down to his feet again. "Still that's no reason for being impolite. I'd like to make it up to you," he added and Amai raised and eyebrow and stared at him.

"Rain made you come out here didn't she?" Amai asked curiously and the deep blush that crept up Storm's cheeks was all the answer she needed. Her opinion of him went back up a few points.

"I'm not a people person by any means, but I still make it a point not to get on the bad side of any woman who could pummel me in a fight and cleave me in two with her sword," Storm added as his eyes moved to her waist. Putting her hand to her hip, Amai touched the sword she was carrying. The sharp blade was nearly the size of his torso. Now it was her turn to be a little embarrassed.

"We obviously got off on the wrong foot so I'd like to make it up to you somehow," Storm offered and Amai hummed and tapped a finger on her chin as she considered that.

"Do you know how to cook?" she asked and Storm nodded warily. A grin broke out on Amai's face as she rubbed her hands together.

* * *

Looking up from the puppy in her arms, Rain watched as Amai came skipping back into the room with a smile on her face.

"Well, well. You sure look like a nargacuga who caught a qurupeco unawares. I take it things are better now?" she asked as Storm walked in with a resigned look on his face. Amai glanced over at Alistair who was still sleeping before she answered.

"Once Alistair is up and feeling a bit stronger, Storm is going to be making us three ladies some fresh goldenfish fillets! Fresh as in just caught from the river. Not fresh as in sitting out spoiling in the market sun. He has to catch them alone too. No help from your lagiacrus," Amai added in a softer voice so as not to disturb Alistair. A smirk crawled across Rain's lips as she considered that.

"You hate catching goldenfish more than anything else," Rain said as she looked over at Storm who had taken his previous seat on the other side of the hospital bed. Right a way her brother blanched visibly.

"Please don't remind me. Why do you think she asked for them specifically?" he said with a grimace.

Amai took a seat next to Rain and swung her legs back and forth happily as she continued, "Fresh goldenfish fillets, some nicely sauteed garlic shrimp and vegetable fried rice, and some warm, homemade dark honey oat bread with kirin butter," she closed her eyes and put her hands together as she said it.

"Oh now that does sound delicious. I'm going to enjoy this very much" Rain said with great amusement as Storm grunted and pretended that he wasn't listening to them. "Awww, what's wrong bro? You know the ladies love a man who can cook!" she teased as her brother crossed his arms and continued ignoring them. Amai was grinning too and leaned over to look at the zinogre puppy Rain was holding.

"So what are you going to do with him? My offer still stands you know, I can totally raise him if you don't plan on keeping him. Mainly my family dealt with halk but I practically raised my cousin's puppy since she had no idea what she was doing and probably would have ended up having it run away if I wasn't there. Besides I would love to have him as a hunting partner like I said before," Amai said as she pushed the blanket up a bit and held her hand out. Shifting forward a little the zinogre puppy licked her hand quickly before darting back to safety. Looking back over at Storm, Rain watched as he sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"I was just gonna drop him off at the Guild counter tomorrow and let them figure out what to do," Storm mumbled as he ran a hand through his hair. "But if you want him as a hunting partner or something then go ahead," he said with a shrug. Sighing a little, Rain explained in a little more detail for her.

"Storm is a total workaholic. Always in the shop or out at sea making pulling treasure up so while he likes the species he really doesn't have the time needed to raise one properly," she paused for a minute to raised her voice a little. "Some of us actually know how to relax and take some time off once in a while," she insisted and Storm merely rolled his eyes at that.

"Whatever."

Rain hefted the puppy in her arms and said, "Well, Amai, you might as well take your new partner. He'll need a name too," she handed the fussing puppy over to Amai who looked like she was trying her best not to squeal with delight. Cradling him in her arms, Amai rocked him back and forth slightly and the puppy settled down. He had finally stopped drooling all over the place.

"Hmm, I think I'll name him Raiden. He needs a tough name for when he gets big and strong," Amai said as he peeked out from under the blanket and stared up at her with his bright blue eyes. "Ohh, you are just too cute! All baby fat and pudgy legs aren't you? He must still be nursing so I'll have to come up with some good formula to feed him on a regular basis," Amai said holding her index finger out in front of him. The newly christened Raiden scooted forward and latched onto it, sucking on it as he looked up at her and then around the room once more.

All smiles, Amai looked up at Rain with bright eyes. "Just like I thought. He's still a baby so he'll be nursing for at least another three weeks. Even if he's not hungry nursing puppies will still suck on something to comfort them. My cousin's zinogre puppy had a favorite blanket that she carried around everywhere before she was old enough to eat solid food," Amai explained at the little monster in her arms settled down.

Rain smiled and settled back in her chair. Boy was Alistair in for a surprise when she woke up later.

* * *

When mother first got hurt, Ginouji didn't know what to do. Mother was so upset and that big monster had hurt her really bad. It was so big and scary and wanted to kill them all, but mother fought it and protected them. He was impressed by the... by the... he stopped for a second and scrunched his eyes as he thought about it. He knew his name and recognized his brother's name, but now he was starting to pick up the names of others too. He just had to remember it.

Amai. He heard mother and the new female call her Amai. She went right up and attacked the big water monster over and over. She even killed it. He definitely liked her better now. She fought the monster with mother and helped her when she got hurt by it. But mother shouldn't get hurt. Mother was strong and tough. Mother wasn't afraid of anything, but she was so scared after fighting that water monster. While they were coming here he had been so upset and worried but brother was so calm and helped mother stay calm too.

After they got here to this big strange place brother had flapped his wings to show he was strong and then squeaked and looked at mother. Then he hissed like he was scaring something off. He was saying that mother was strong and she was brave. She wasn't afraid of the big winged monster before and she wasn't afraid of the big water monster either. She was scared that they would get hurt. That's why she got the winged monster to back off and why she fought the water monster today.

When the strange people let mother hold him she wrapped her arms around him like she was never going to let go. Brother had hummed and preened at that and Ginouji could tell that he was happy because he felt he was right. And he was. Mother was strong and tough, but she was scared of losing them and afraid that they would get taken away or separated. That's why she had them go with the new female when the water monster appeared earlier. She was protecting them.

Lifting his head, Ginouji looked at mother but she was still asleep. He didn't like the strange people here, but they had made mother better so he would try not to bite them if they came in again. He didn't like the new man at all, but he sensed that he was related to the new female and mother knew him and had communicated with him. As long as he didn't come any closer than Ginouji promised he wouldn't bite him either.

Putting his head back down, Ginouji closed his eyes and got comfortable again. Mother and Amai had killed the big water monster, but she was in a lot of pain now. When she was awake he would make sure he helped her out however he could.

* * *

 


	12. Secrets Kept

 

They were back at the house now after finally getting Alistair released from the hospital a few hours early. So currently it was still early afternoon. Rain had picked up her prescriptions from the Apothecary and dutifully made a second copy of the instructions the doctor had given Alistair. Starting tomorrow she would be on a strict herbal prescription to stabilize her mood swings as well as another plant remedy to act as a mild sedative for her anxiety. For now, however, they needed the hospital meds to wear off some more before they gave her anything else. It was mid afternoon and Alistair felt like she had a thick lagombi pelt stuffed inside her head so she wasn't even going to attempt to think about the dosage instructions.

Storm was inside making dinner for them while Amai sat in the sand doing something or other with a zinogre puppy. Alistair had finally given up on trying to process what it was exactly that they were doing. She was sitting back on the patio deck with Rain in the cool shade while Ginouji and Akairo splashed around and swam in the water. Even Seiva made an appearance and the Ivory Lagiacrus was now half in and half out of the water sunbathing. Alistair rubbed her eyes and dragged her attention back as her fuzzy and still partially sedated brain made a valiant effort to understand what Rain was telling her.

"So Storm is finally back," Alistair said lifting a hand in front of her face and putting up a finger so she could start counting, "And he brought a zinogre puppy because its mom died and they didn't want to leave it behind," she frowned slightly and put up a second finger. "He was going to give it to the Guild, but Amai took it instead," she added with a third finger. "Now she won't shut up about how cute it is and..." Alistair wavered for a moment before putting up a fourth finger.

Looking up Alistair watched Ginouji and Akairo roll around in the sand until their wet bodies were covered in pale sand from head to toe. At least they were having fun. Turning back to what she was doing Alistair stared at her fingers for several seconds as she tried to get her mind back on track. From the corner of her vision she could see Rain watching her with a look of mild amusement.

"I was counting something right?" Alistair finally said scrunching her nose as Rain chuckled and reached over to put her hand down.

"Why don't you just rest for now? You can always figure it out later you know," Rain said gently as Alistair made a face and rubbed her eyes again.

"I am pretty sleepy," Alistair admitted and sat there staring out at the water before asking, "Am I better or am I still sedated?"

"Oh trust me you are still pretty far out there right now."

"Okay. Just checking," Alistair words turned into a yawn and she shifted over a bit before laying down with her head in Rain's lap. "Just wake me when... when..." she paused again and tried to think. "When Storm is finished with whatever it is we're waiting on him to do," she finally said and muffled another yawn before closing her eyes.

"I'll try my best," Rain agreed, but Alistair was already out and sleeping peacefully. A wooden creak alerted her to someone's presence and looked up to see Amai walking over with Raiden in her hands. The puppy still looked like he wanted to go hide somewhere, but he wasn't fidgeting and whining as much as he was last night. Amai took a seat next to her and together they watched both rathalos hatchlings chase each other through the sand. Even Seiva cracked an eye open and teased them by dangling the tip of his tail just out of their reach when they tried to grab it.

"Well he certainly seems to enjoy having them around although your other one, Sakala, didn't seem quite as enthusiastic about them," Amai said as she watched them having fun. Raiden was watching them and trembling with fascination, but he wasn't bold enough to get up and join them. Rain nodded and uncrossed one of her legs being careful not to jostle Alistair too much.

"Yeah, he's like that. Sakala doesn't mind people, but he can get really jealous when it comes to a monster that isn't one of his siblings. Seiva is the exact opposite. He's always up for some fun with other monsters, but he hates being around people and he doesn't like them being around me either. He doesn't mind Alistair and you are okay by association, but don't get any ideas about getting too close to him. Seiva won't hesitate to let you know that he is bigger and stronger than you are. Scaring and playing tricks on people is one of his favorite hobbies," Rain explained as Seiva yawned and stretched out his body. Apparently he was done having fun for today and with a smooth turn he slid into the water and disappeared. Akairo was still a bit wary around the huge lagiacrus, but he was starting to warm up to him.

Moment's later Ginouji came running over to them squeaking and chirping enthusiastically. Raiden lifted his head as the hatchling stopped in front of him and bobbed his head. The puppy hesitated for a moment before looking up at Amai.

"Hey far be it from me to stop you two from having fun," Amai said as she set Raiden down in front of her and let him toddle out a few steps. Ginouji leaned closer so he could get a better look at the new monster as the puppy fidgeted and tried to look down. Instead Ginouji crouched down and looked up at him from below. Finally Raiden looked up at the Silver Rathalos and hesitantly touched noses with him. Apparently that was good enough for Ginouji because he hopped back and ran back out to the sand. A moment later he came right back when he realized Raiden wasn't coming. It took some persuasion and physical pushing on Ginouji's part but the zinogre puppy finally joined them in the sand albeit very shyly and hesitantly.

"Alistair is going to be floored when she hears about this. Who knew Ginouji had it in him?" Rain said with a laugh as Akairo walked up and circled the puppy a little more suspiciously. However, when a warning hiss came from Ginouji he backed off and gave Raiden a nicer greeting. "Seems like Ginouji has been making some good improvements since he got here. Still I wouldn't put it past him to bite some stranger's finger off if they tried to get too close," she added as a light snore came from Alistair who was still sleeping in her lap.

"She really trusts you doesn't she?" Amai said and glanced up at Rain.

"We've been through a lot together and I've helped her though some tough times. This wasn't the first time and I won't be the last," Rain admitted. 

"Is she going to get better now?" Amai asked softly.

"I sure hope so. Alistair has had some bad experiences with hospitals and healers but I'm hoping she'll give it another shot this time around. She can't just keep going on like this," Rain sighed at the memories but didn't explain further.

"I hope she does too. Alistair deserves to be happy," Amai said and Rain couldn't agree more.

* * *

"I thought I told you to wake me up!" Alistair grumbled in complaint as Storm set a plate down on the table in front of her. She had slept for a few hours and now it was well past sundown. Probably around 8pm, but she hadn't bothered to check. Everyone else had already eaten, but Storm had saved some for her and cooked it fresh after she woke up. Now she was sitting at the large driftwood table that was set up just outside of the kitchen behind the bar stools. Rain was in a seat across from her and Alistair glared at Rain even as she took a bite of her fried fish sandwich.

"I did," Rain swore as she leaned forward and calmly put her head in her hands, "But when I kept trying to wake you up, despite your muttered objections, you rolled over and bit me," she said raising a questioning eyebrow. "I knew you were pretty out of it earlier because of the sedatives but if I thought you were going to bite me I'd have left you alone," she added with a wry smile. Swallowing her mouthful, Alistair objected firmly to that accusation.

"I did not  _bite_ you," she shot back only to have Rain lean over the table and show her the still prominent semicircle of teeth marks in the side of her left hand. Alistair's mouth snapped shut as a blush crawled across her cheeks. "Whatever..." she mumbled and hastily took another bite of her sandwich. Back in the kitchen the tell-tale sound of hissing and growling said that the hatchlings were probably fighting over another piece of meat or fish again. Storm was taking over feeding them since Alistair was eating right now.

Smirking triumphantly, Rain settled back in her chair. "Now is that anyway to treat a friend? Aren't you at least going to apologize for causing me bodily harm? Have you nothing at all to say?" she asked feigning a look of deep disappointment.

"Thank you for being my pillow earlier. My thoughts are still a bit sluggish at times but I feel very much refreshed now," Alistair stated instead with a good-natured smirk as Rain snorted and snatched a Tanzia chip from off the plate and popped it into her mouth. Alistair tried to bat her hand away, but Rain settled back in her seat before she could be chastised for her thievery. "Try that one more time and I'll bite you again," she threatened with a scowl as she pulled the plate closer to her.

"I love you too," Rain said cheerily as Amai walked back in the room holding Raiden in her hands. Around his body was a harness made of braided leather.

"You like it? I just made it using some extra strips of hydro hide. I want to get a fancier one made but I don't know how fast he's going to grow so maybe I should just hold off on that for now. Still it's pretty cool right?" Amai said proudly as Raiden shook his head and scratched at the harness loosely held around his body. "Your hatchlings have their harnesses and now he has one as well! It's not as fancy as the ones Rain made for you of course, but it's meant to be more functional than fashionable for the moment. He's just going to out grow it so I'll wait for a while before commissioning a really nice one from a wyverian artisan," Amai explained as she put him down on the floor. It didn't take long for him to skulk under the table and find a place between the chair legs where he felt safe and unnoticed.

Alistair picked up on how Rain's body tensed when Amai sat down at the table, but she didn't think it was because of what Amai had just said. Instead Rain stood up and moved over to sit next to Alistair who raised an eyebrow and glanced back and forth between the two. Amai pursed her lips as she watched her but didn't say anything.

"I'll be in my room reading a book if anyone needs me," Storm said as he left the kitchen and headed across the living room and down the hallway. Seconds later Ginouji and Akairo came out of the kitchen as well and started searching around Alistair's legs to see if she had dropped any food on the floor. Smiling slightly she gave both of them a Tanzia chip to appease some of their curiosity. For a while there was calm silence as Alistair continued to eat the rest of her meal, occasionally giving pieces to the hatchlings who eagerly swallowed them down. Rain occasionally stole some chips as well, but Alistair ignored it.

When she was done, though, Alistair knew she couldn't put things off any longer. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves she pushed her plate away and tried to prepare herself mentally for what she was about to do.

"Amai... I wanted to talk to you... about what happened to me before," Alistair said and she rubbed her hands together as anxiety started to crawl up inside of her. "I told you some of what happened but after yesterday's episode I think you deserve to know more," she confessed as she stared down at the knots and rings in the wooden table. "I'm  _not_  better yet. That's going to take months and probably years of medication and work, but for right now I do have my symptoms back under some kind of control," she added with a glance up to see if Amai was listening. When she was sure that she was Alistair continued.

"However, I think it would be better if you knew some of what I went through and what caused my PTSD," Alistair said as her hands started to tremble slightly. She could feel the memories pressing down on her, but she took another deep breath and calmed herself down. Reminded herself that it was in the past not the present.

"I knew something was wrong. The whole week my husband had spent preparing to leave for his Gravios quest and the entire week I felt sick to my stomach. There are few times when a hunter gets a bad feeling about something but when they do they learn not to ignore it. So when I started getting that feeling I knew..." Alistair stopped and closed her eyes, "I knew that he wasn't going to be coming back and I think he felt it too," she said rubbing the back of her knuckles as she spoke.

"One thing we did was that we never said goodbye to each other. We always said 'I'll see you later,' but that day before he left the house he... he held me close and he told me that he loved me. That our baby had the best mother in the world and considered it an honor to be married to me. He kissed me and then said goodbye," Alistair said with another hard swallow as the memories came flooding back. Shaking it off she continued the story. She didn't want to look up at Amai because she knew she wouldn't be able to handle the pity in the girl's eyes.

"The rest of the day all I could do was sit in bed and cry because something in my heart told me that was the last time I'd ever see him safe and sound. Then six days later I was in the market and I saw him coming towards me. He smiled and dropped his bag, but before he could come to me I heard the roar of a monster. A few seconds later everything erupted into chaos as the gravios attacked the town. All I could do was watch my husband as he pulled a little boy out of the way and handed him to his father before running off to try and distract the gravios. He had just reached a woman and two kids when it turned on him and prepared its lava beam. If he didn't draw its attention it was going to kill all three of them, but if he did then it was going to kill him instead," Alistair stopped and brushed a tear away from her eye. "He started screaming at it and it hesitated for a split second before turning and firing on him. The only identifiable things they could find afterwards were his switch axe made from alatreon parts and a few scraps of his armor. There was no body left to bury. A heat ray like that leaves very little behind," Alistair explained and looked down at her feet to see Ginouji and Akairo tugging on the end of the carpet with their teeth. It was tough enough that they really couldn't do much damage to it so she left them alone.

Turning back she stared the table and kept talking.

"It charged after that knocking down buildings and parts of buildings as it went. Being pretty heavily pregnant at the time I could only move so quickly and it got to me before I could get away. Barius the pet Barioth my husband had raised tried to defend me but the gravios caught its back legs with its heat ray and slammed it back with one of its wings. Then it demolished the building I was next to and the rubble collapsed down on top of us," Alistair stopped again but this time Rain reached over and slipped her hand into her own. She knew what was coming next and squeezed Alistair's hand firmly.

"I was trapped there for a couple of days while the gravios raged around the city and was finally killed by some hunters. There was so much destruction and so much rubble to sift through. Everyone was looking around doing everything they could to try and find survivors, but there were a lot of injured ones who needed help already and not enough experienced search and rescue workers," Alistair's free arm curled around her stomach as she spoke. "I knew Barius wasn't going to make it with the damage he had sustained and the way he was bleeding. My shoulder and leg were broken and I had taken a hard blow to the stomach as well. As the hours wore on I didn't know if I was going to survive either, but I wasn't worried about myself. All I cared about was someone finding me quickly so they could save the baby," she said as Rain ran her thumb across the back of her hand to comfort her.

"You know that babies move inside their mother's stomach right?" Alistair asked finally looking up to see Amai nod slowly. "Well after the building fell I could still feel my baby move from time to time. Especially when they pushed their feet up into my ribs," she said with a sad smile. "But while I was trapped I fell unconscious for a while and I when woke up I knew something was wrong. Barius was already dead by then and I had started bleeding," her voice softened at the end and it took her a moment to compose herself.

"It was too late even before the rescuers found me. They rushed me to the hospital and when the doctor examined me he said that I had inhaled some of the gravios' poison gas, but the baby had absorbed it instead and that combined with the injury to my stomach is what... is what killed them," Alistair closed her eyes and felt Rain pull her hand away and instead wrap her arm around her shoulders.

"I went into labor three days after being found and admitted to the hospital. I had pretty low blood levels at the time despite the medication they gave me to help my body produce more. I passed out immediately afterward and drifted in and out of consciousness for the next four days." For the first time Alistair's voice cracked and tears started to stream down her cheeks. "By the time I woke up it was too late. I never got my chance. They never... they never let me see my baby. I never even knew if it was a boy or a girl. Seven months I carried it and felt it move inside me and they never even let me see it," she choked out as a sob escaped her throat.

Alistair could feel Rain's arm tighten around her shoulders and she allowed Rain to pull her into a tight embrace. For the first time in a long while Alistair allowed herself to cry as Rain held her and rubbed her back comfortingly. She didn't care if Amai saw her. She didn't care if anyone saw her. Ginouji and Akairo were pressing against her legs and rubbing their heads against to try and comfort her too.

"Do you want me to tell her the rest of it?" Rain whispered in her ear and Alistair merely nodded into her friend's shoulder.

"I didn't know what was going on at first but when Alistair's letter stopped I started getting worried. Alistair's family was informed and arrived two weeks after the accident. It took about three months before I heard about the gravios attack and Storm and I left immediately for Zystae when we found out. We arrived up there in about a week by train and airship, but it still took another couple of days to figure out where Alistair had been and what happened. Her family had already taken Alistair back to her hometown to recover," Rain explained.

"Only things weren't going as well as they had hoped. They didn't know what was going on at the time but Alistair had been suffering from PTSD ever since the attack. Only now it was getting worse. She was having nightmares about losing her baby and was getting paranoid and angry at everyone around her," Rain said and another wave of grief washed over Alistair. Sighing slightly Alistair just let her head rest on Rain's shoulder instead of trying to sit up.

"Her parents and sister were trying to help, but their efforts were only setting Alistair off even more. They didn't want to commit her to a mental institution but they finally did after she had an angry outburst and put one of the farm hands in the hospital. They had her forcibly admitted to the mental institution in the nearest place that had one on the edge of the desert past the mountains. Alistair had been in there for nearly three weeks by the time Storm caught up and finally figured out just where she was," Rain continued as Alistair wiped the tears away from her eyes and sat up.

"You and Storm got me out of that awful place too. I don't know what I would have done if I had to stay in there much longer. It still means so much to me," Alistair said with a weak smile as Rain looked away in embarrassment.

"Come on any good friend would have done the same. There's no way Storm and I are going to let you go through that again," Rain promised as Alistair took a deep breath and finally looked hesitantly at Amai who was wiping tears of her own away. Clearing her throat, Amai rubbed her eyes again.

"Can I give you a hug?" Amai asked hesitantly and this time Alistair nodded and stood up. The young hunter came around the table and hugged her tightly. "I'm so sorry Alistair. I know we're not really friends but if you need anything then I do want to help you as best I can," she promised and Alistair nodded as the young hunter pulled back. "And that means not being too stubborn to ask me for help when you need something," Amai chastised which caused her to frown slightly and look away.

"Oh shut up," Alistair mumbled as her cheeks turned a light shade of pink. The hatchlings were at her feet still giving worried squeaks. "I'm going to take a shower and go to bed. Thanks. Both of you," she said appreciatively as Rain came over and hugged her again before stepping back.

"You sure you're gonna be okay tonight? Or do you want me to mix some of your medicine into some hot chocolate to help you sleep tonight?" she asked and Alistair thought for a moment before nodding and brushing her hair back out of her face.

"Yeah... yeah maybe I should. I do think it would help even if I hate the thought of having to resort to this," Alistair said honestly. Rain nodded and took a step back.

"Why don't you get ready for bed then and I'll bring it to you. I don't know how quickly it's going to put you to sleep and I don't want you suddenly passing out on the floor in front of me," Rain said as she headed into the kitchen to get the drink and medicine prepared for her. Amai curiously watched them interact before ducking down and reaching under the table to grab Raiden who had fallen asleep.

"I'll just... be over here out of the way," Amai said and hastily made her way out and back towards her room.

* * *

Yawning, Amai rubbed her eyes as she shuffled out of her room. Instead of coming straight back here she had stopped at the market to pick up a crate of anteka milk. Aside from being delicious it was high in nutrients and fat. Anteka lived in the cold north and gave birth to their young in the short spring season. So their babies needed to grow and grow fast before the harsh winter set in and food became harder or almost impossible to find. Their milk was the best substitute she would be able to find. Thankfully there was an anteka ranch a few miles away from Tanzia Port in a smaller village so it wasn't that expensive to buy since it was coming from such a short distance away. Their horns fell out once a year and then grew back larger. They were hot trade items along with clothing made from their hair which was shaved down twice a year. Their meat was also a hot item at the local market and restaurants.

_It's a good thing I bought some glass baby bottles too. Raiden will probably drink up two bottles worth if I warm it up for him,_ Amai considered as she looked down at the puppy in her arms. She had been keeping him close to her for most of the day and talking to him so he'd get used to her voice and presence.

"Here you go. Try not to drink it too fast or you'll be out before you know it."

Slowing down, Amai hesitated just outside of Alistair's door when she heard Rain talking.

"Thank you. Although I know this will probably have me loopy and confused in the morning it will be nice to actually sleep otherwise undisturbed through the night," Alistair's voice was a bit muffled and Amai peeked around to peer through the slightly open door. Alistair was in bed drinking from a clay mug while Rain was sitting on the edge watching her.

"Have your nightmares been that bad?" Rain asked softly as Amai pulled back and leaned against the wall. Alistair sighed softly.

"I didn't want to bother you. I thought... I didn't think I was going to have another episode like that. I know I shouldn't have waited to tell you what was going on," she answered sounding weary and exhausted.

"There's no shame in admitting that you have a problem and need help with it," Rain replied in a gentle tone of voice.

Alistair hummed and Amai could hear her drinking a little more before she said, "What about you and Amai? Getting along well enough?" she asked.

"Well enough I guess. I'm just... jumpy now around people I don't know well. I don't know if I ever caught you up on what's been going on here while you've been gone. I've been helping to fund a group that was pushing for stricter regulations and oversight on local hunting grounds. At first it was just one group of hunters killing more monsters then necessary but when they weren't charged with breaking any laws more started imitating them and bullying out those who didn't like it. Carnivore and omnivore populations were dropping incredibly fast while herbivore populations were growing too high as a result putting local farmers crops at risk," Rain explained.

"Thanks to my funding, which was used to pay layers and skilled environmental researchers, the village council approved their request and they worked together to draft new regulations. But included in that were stricter fishing and dumping regulations as well. This is a popular fishing and tourist port and the fish populations have long been showing signs of strain to keep up. In the long run it will help Tanzia to continue thriving without killing off the marine populations the port depends on for fishing and tourism but in the long run..." Rain paused.

"You made a lot of people really angry. The sailors feel like they got the short end of the bargain while farmers got the backing they needed to recover," Alistair guessed.

"Pretty much. That was a couple years ago and you were... well you know, when you came to stay with me before so it was easy for you to miss it," Rain stated. Amai frowned at that. Alistair had been here before? It didn't sound like a happy visit either.

"Plus Storm hadn't wanted to be a fisherman when he got the point where he couldn't do it anymore and I wasn't interested either. Dad was dead by the time all this was getting tossed around the council but you already know that what happened to him was a bit deal. A lot of the sailors still remembered not only how he died but felt that we had abandoned him before then. He was a popular man, a longtime sailor, and a friend to most of the captains around here."

Amai knew she shouldn't be eavesdropping but her curiosity was getting the better of her.

"Plus everyone knows I have lagiacrus. It didn't take long before rumors started to spread. I was paying off the council, paying off the Guild, keeping my 'pets' safe so they could have the best fishing spots, on and on. Most of the treasure I pull up goes back to nations they came from or into museums. What Storm and I have in the shop isn't nearly as much as it looks but people didn't care," Rain continued.

"Some people's opinions started dropping when Storm didn't continue after dad's footsteps as a fisherman. Then when he died it was pretty hard for people not feel wary or afraid of me. Then I went to live with Storm, we started our own business together, became wildly successful, and used our influence to affect Tanzia Port in ways that people didn't always agree with even if it would make things better in the long term. Me liking women has always been viewed as a bit strange and unusual but most ignored it. But now? Now those who hate me will use anything they can find to try to get under my skin and those who agree are too afraid to speak up."

"I'm so sorry Rain. I didn't know it was that bad," Alistair said softly.

"There's not much that can be done. The hunters scare people, the sailors bring in the biggest source of food and trade for the port, and the farmers who speak out in my defense might find themselves suddenly without help when a monster comes through their fields or starts killing their livestock. Dad was... abusive. Never physically towards me like he was with Storm but emotionally, verbally. I thought I was doing well but the things people say take me right back to those days. Right back to how bad he made me feel and how much he made me hate and doubt myself for not being good enough," Rain admitted.

Amai felt a stab of guilt in her heart. She had been frustrated by Rain's standoffish attitude towards her but now that she knew the reason she felt bad for her attitude. 

"But enough about that. Tell me something else so I don't have to dwell on all of this," Rain asked. 

"Well, while you're here I want to talk to you about Ginouji and Akairo," Alistair said, gently switching topics. "I want to add you as a secondary owner for them. I'm not worried about dying or anything so don't panic," Alistair said heading her off. "I'm worried that I'll have another episode like I did yesterday. I still could have one in the days and weeks to come. So if something happens I want you to be able to take over their care for me. If I'm incapacitated and can't make decisions then I want to know that they'll be in safe hands. Not confiscated and locked in a cage until I'm feeling better and can go pick them up," Alistair said and Amai peered through the door to see her lean back against some pillows that were propped up behind her.

"Are you sure? I mean of course I'll do it gladly but will the Guild allow it?" Rain asked.

"You're already the licensed owner of an Ivory and an Abyssal Lagiacrus. Both of them are very high level monsters on their registration lissts. A rathalos is a few levels below them so there shouldn't be much problem. There's no reason for them to reject you so long as you fill out the paperwork properly and prove to them that you can not only afford, but give proper attention to more monsters then you already have," Alistair explained before she was cut off with a yawn. "I want to get started on this after my first therapy session in two days. It would definitely make me feel better," she added in a sleepier tone of voice.

"Of course I'll do it. Although I sincerely hope I'll never need to take care of them in your place for any length of time," Rain said and the bed creaked as she stood up.

Quickly Amai hurried along and slid past the doorway and down towards the kitchen before she was caught. Her thoughts were bouncing back and forth and she now understood why Rain was so wary around her and why some in town acted like she wasn't welcome there.

She grabbed some anteka milk and heated it up on the stove fire until it was boiling. Grabbing a bottle she poured it inside before putting the plastic nipple on top. She let it sit there for a little while so it would cool down enough for Raiden to drink without burning his tongue. That wouldn't be a good way to start off their new relationship. Touching the side of the bottle she determined that it had cooled down enough and picked it back up. Raiden was slowly making his way around the kitchen exploring and sniffing everything.

Turning around her heart nearly stopped when she saw Rain staring down at her. And she did not look happy.

"Oh... umm. Hi there. I was just getting something for Raiden before bed," Amai said hoping it sounded natural. She tried to slide past but the woman grabbed her arm and turned her around.

"How much of that did you hear?" Rain demanded and Amai knew she had been caught.

"I didn't... I was just going down the hall..." she was cut off when Rain pushed her back against the counter roughly.

" _How much did you hear?_ " she demanded again in a low voice. Amai swallowed hard and stood up straighter.

"I was walking down the hallway just as you went into give Alistair her drink. When you got up from the bed to leave I... I left," Amai admitted honestly. Rain pursed her lips and leaned in forcing her to take a step back. 

"I'm letting you stay here because of Alistair. That's it. You do anything or use what you know to put anyone I love at risk and I won't hesitate to put you out you understand me?" Rain warned her. Amai nodded as quickly as she could in affirmation. Rain backed off at that but still gave her a look as she walked away to her room.

Amai looked down at Raiden who had come back and was now sitting down and leaning against her feet. "Just be glad you don't have to sort through stuff like this," she told him as the puppy cocked his head curiously and pawed at her leg with a hungry whine.


	13. Secrets Revealed

Leaning forward a bit, Rain inhaled and smiled at the sweet smell the fruit in front of her was giving off. She picked up one of the white berries and squeezed it slightly to see how firm it was. Alistair was having some major cravings so Rain had gone out to pick up some food for lunch. It was mid morning right now and just before the late morning rush where everyone packed the market to buy things before the heat of the day set in. She had already purchased some bullfango steaks, wild rice, mushrooms, onions, and peppers. Still she wanted something special for dessert later tonight so she was making one more stop before heading back to the house.

"I'll take some of these," Rain said and the shopkeeper handed her a medium-sized thatched basket to put them in. They were Alistair's favorite and a good fruit crumble made from them never failed to lift her mood. Besides she would need a pick me up after her episode yesterday. Humming an old sailor's song to herself, Rain filled up the basket halfway before handing it back to the shopkeeper. The old woman poured the berries on a scale to weigh them.

"About two pounds. That'll be 20 zeni."

Pulling out some coins Rain paid the woman and waited as the shopkeeper put the berries into a brown bag for her and tied it shut with a simple knot. Thanking her, Rain turned and started heading back. To her surprise Amai had jumped up and came with her as well even leaving Raiden behind. Although the puppy had been sleeping heavily anyway. It made Rain more than a little uncomfortable after what happened yesterday and the tension between them as they walked was obvious. Right now Amai was in a different part of the area but they had agreed to meet back at the entrance to the market when they were done. Rain was immersed in her thoughts and didn't notice the people walking towards her until she nearly ran right into them.

"Oh sorry about that I..." Rain apologized as she looked up. Immediately she grimaced when she realized who it was. Hunters and not the friendly ones either. In front of her was a man with a huge great sword strapped to his back along with a woman who had a light bowgun. Behind them was a short young woman with a hunting horn nearly as big as she was. She was fidgeting and looking back and forth nervously.

"Look who we have here Caster. If it isn't our little cloud of Rain," the tall woman joked to the man beside her as she stepped forward like a Great Jaggi stalking their prey. Taking a step back Rain clutched the bag in her hand a little tighter and swallowed hard.

"Hello Narane," Rain managed to get out as the woman circled around here with a sneer on her lips. Narane and her siblings had been a thorn in Tanzia Ports side for ages. They were the best hunters around but they always forced contract owners to pay them extra. They bullied the poorer shop owners into giving them discounts on items they could easily pay full price for and always killed more monsters then necessary while on a hunt. They always skirted the law, pushing as far as they could without getting caught.

"What brings you out of that cave you call a home and into the sunlight with the rest of us?" Narane asked as she came back around and looked her up and down. A chill went down Rain's spine as she looked down and didn't answer. Caster smirked and crossed his arms and replied for her.

"What do you want to bet it's Alistair? Word around the tavern is that her and a rookie hunter brought down a plesioth yesterday. Impressive," Caster stated as he leaned forward slightly. "No thanks to you of course. Should have just crippled it with a nice blow to the chest," he spat out. Rain was no hunter but she was pretty sure that would be an illegal hit. The Guild expressly forbid attacking certain body parts on monsters if they felt it cause suffering beyond what was necessary to kill them.

The woman behind them opened her mouth and then closed it before staring at her shoes. That would be the younger sister. She may not participate directly in their bullying but she never tried to stop them either.

Narane grinned slyly and looked over her shoulder at Caster.

"I bet Alistair felt sorry for her. I mean it is rather pitiful seeing a civilian pine after a hunter like this isn't it? Probably just hangs around for the money. All those head evaluations can't be cheap even on Guild payments," Narane said in mock sympathy.

"Alistair is a better hunter then you three will ever be," Rain snapped back defensively. She was trying to sound tough but it didn't stop her hands from trembling. As much as she hated it they were right. She was a civilian and while she may be able to hold her own against sailors and drunken tavern patrons spoiling for a fight she would be crushed against real fighters.

_Being nice is something you three idiots wouldn't understand if it walked up and slapped you in the face,_ she thought but knew better than to say it out loud. But what she had said was already enough for Narane to go after her like a sharq that smelled blood in the water.

"A better hunter then us? Some prissy backwoods hunter who can't stand to hurt monsters unless she's expressly told to do so? Sentiment like that is only holding the Guild back," Narane spat out. "They could be better and we could be stronger if we were given free reign to kill monsters instead of having to take civilian contracts collecting mushrooms because some poor widow is scared of a jaggi!" she snarled out.

"Instead we get sent out on worthless hunts while people like you just toss around some zeni and have everyone cater to what you want," Caster interrupted. Most hunters made a nice living but Rain had to admit that she and Storm had far exceeded what most civilians would ever have, what most could only dream of. Even if she didn't use it to influence others she knew Narane and Caster wouldn't accept that.

"Now you're trailing after your hunter like a kicked zinogre puppy. Too bad money can't buy everything or are you just not man enough for her tastes?" Caster asked with a grin. Rain didn't even have time to think as her hand whipped around and punched him in the nose with a CRACK that made several shopkeepers lift their heads. Roaring with pain Caster stumbled back and blood gushed from his nose.

"The only thing I'll be paying for is your hospital bill. Too bad its a shame doctors can't cure stupidity," Rain snarled as Caster double over with blood pouring from between his hands.

"Keep your hands off my brother rich girl!" Narane lashed out punching Rain in the face. Stumbling backwards, Rain fell to the ground clutching her face as pain shot across her face. Caster recovered enough to draw back to kick her in the gut but their younger sister interrupted.

"Hey stop! Shaking down civilians is one thing but assault could get us kicked out of the Guild!" she interrupted. Rain scrambled back out of range in case Narane and Caster decided it was worth it anyway.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing!"

Rain knew whose voice that was, but she was in too much pain to look up.

"Who are you pipsqueak?"

Rain lifted her head and saw Amai standing there in front of her with her hands on her hips.

"I'm ten times the hunter you idiots are apparently. Didn't the Guild ever teach you to pick on someone your own size?" Amai shot back at them. Narane sneered as Rain groaned and dropped her head back down to the ground.

"You mean rich girl down there at your feet?" Narane spat as Caster went back to clutching his bloody nose.

"We'll get you locked up for this! You can't punch a hunter like that and get away with it!" Caster snarled and Amai barked out a laugh at him.

"Seriously? I don't know where you get off on that kind of charge, but I do know Guild rules. I can guarantee they won't ignore an assault charge from another hunter. They'll have you restricted to picking herbs before a doctor can finish taping up your nose," Amai threatened and Rain looked up to see her going toe to toe with Narane who was at least five or six inches taller than she was. Now they hesitated and the young woman who had quietly been standing behind them until now finally spoke up.

"She's right. If hunter brings up civilian assault charges against another hunter that's automatic suspension of all quest related activities and grounds for full dismissal," she said urgently. "Let's just get out of here. We have better things to do than this, right?" she urged both of them. Narane still stared Amai down before reluctantly taking a step back.

"Whatever. Take your lovestruck puppy dog there and get her some sense along with a good doctor. Hunters are the only authority around here," Narane sneered before she left with the pack of goons she'd swept in with.

Rain grimaced as she mumbled under her breath.

"If she was feeling better the only thing she'd be breaking is your face." Rain coughed and gently touched her swelling face as Amai helped her to her feet and grabbed the bags that had fallen to the ground. Thankfully they hadn't been smashed. Leaning against her, Rain squeezed her eyes shut and touched her left eye tenderly. No doubt that side of her face would be black and blue in an hour. After a moment, Rain put her hand back over the left side of her face and shifted her good eye to Amai who was watching her with clear concern.

"So... you have a good day at the market?" Rain asked. Amai let out a surprised laugh and shook her head.

"Sorry for not coming sooner. I wasn't sure if you wanted me to step in and I wasn't keen on going up against three hunters but I shouldn't have let that stop me. You needed help," Amai said looking down shamefully. Rain nodded and pushed away from her to stand on her own. She couldn't blame her for thinking that way.

"So what they said... why don't they like you? I mean I know I was eavesdropping last night but they seemed to have a more personal vendetta against you," Amai pointed out.

"Depends. I turned Caster down when he asked me out, refused to give them a discount on old hunting spears I pulled up from the ocean floor, wouldn't give them more money when they accepted a contract and said the going rate wasn't high enough. They believe that Alistair is somehow getting an unfair advantage because she's my friend. I have three powerful lagiacrus that the Guild has marked as protected meaning they can't be hunted. Not even the rare abyssal lagiacrus who comes when Storm or I are in her territory. In addition to all the reasons you no doubt overheard last night. Do I need to go on?" Rain asked.

"Wow that's an avalanche waiting to happen as my dad used to say," Amai said with a grimace.

"People don't like me anymore and some of them never will again. Most often being because I'm rich or because they thing I'm influencing the Guild or the village council or the farmers or the trade caravans or whatever. Sure being gay doesn't help but that's usually just added ammunition, not the real reason they don't like me. There's a long list," Rain said as she tried unsuccessfully to brush it off.

"We need to get back. Alistair is already feeling bad and seeing me like this isn't going to help her any. We need to get to the house so we can all get some rest," she added and Amai nodded and reached out to grab her arm and help her. Rain swallowed her pride and didn't push her away this time.

"Are you going to press charges against them?" Amai asked and Rain scoffed at that.

"The local guard is too afraid of hunters to do anything and I don't know if the Guild will either. Those who did bring up charges against them already got threatened into silence and the hunters who don't like them are reluctant to turn on their own whatever their crimes. Plus some on the city council don't like me either. Storm and I have a lot of money and a lot of influence. Plus with Alistair back I've heard some of them talking about me behind my back even more. The Guild isn't very popular here anymore.  The fishing restrictions were rolled into the same bill as the one that restricting Guild activities. Added to that is the fact that Tanzia used to have a local fighting force to deal with monsters. Now they have to pay the Guild," Rain explained.

"And the Guild sends in Narane and her squad who bully them for more zeni or still kill additional monsters despite the added laws putting the ecosystem they depend on to live at risk while they get in trouble for not using the right fishing nets," Amai said putting the pieces together. "Couldn't you move somewhere else?" Amai asked softly and Rain looked over to see her face clouded with worry.

"Honestly I've been thinking about it more and more but part of why our business is successful is because of our location. Storm and I love what I do and I don't want to take it away from him either. Besides Alistair is getting settled in here now. She needs a stable place while she deals with her medical issues," Rain replied with a grimace as pain shot through her face again. Amai chewed on her bottom lip and didn't answer until they were out of the market and on the packed dirt path back to the house.

"I'm sorry for being so nosy last night and for listening in when you and Alistair were talking," Amai apologized as they walked under the shade of the rows of palm trees lining the road. "How long have you known each other?" she asked.

"Since we were little girls although we weren't always as close as we are now. I mean we've been best friends for most of our lives but it wasn't until after Alistair was released after the destruction of Zystae that we got to where we are now with each other. It..." Rain stopped and swallowed hard at the memories. "It got really, really bad for Alistair during that time. Way worse then right now. I'd rather not talk about it without her permission," she stated.

Amai took the hint and didn't pry any further.

"Let's get you back then. I think we're both going to have our hands full keeping Alistair from charging off to hurt those three when she see's your face like this."

* * *

"I'm gonna kill them!" Alistair roared furiously as Amai grabbed her around the waist to keep the woman from charging back into her room to grab her switch axe. One look at her best friend's swollen black and blue face had her raging through the house like a Savage Deviljho. Even Ginouji and Akairo had skittered out of the way and were now hiding under the table as they watched their mother trying to escape Amai's grasp. Desperately Amai tried to reason with the woman and get her to calm down a little.

"Alistair don't forget the doctor said you need to limit the amount of stress in your life..." Amai pleaded as Alistair stopped struggling and glared at her.

"Stress? _Stress?_ I'll show you stress! If you wanted to help then you'd be down at the Guild office filing assault charges against those jerks!" Alistair snarled back and Amai let go of her and took a step back. She looked over at Rain who winced and nodded urgently for her to go.

"I was getting ready to do just that. I just need to grab Raiden and I'll be out of here before you know it," Amai promised as she hurried over to where the zinogre puppy was sitting next to his new BFF Ginouji. The puppy looked up and shifted a little as she reach down and picked him up. "I'll uh... just be back later," she said before scurrying away from Alistair's harsh gaze and past Storm who was standing off to the side. He was trying to stay out of Alistair's way seeing as the hunter looked like she was about to do some serious damage to someone.

Grumbling to herself, Alistair walked back over to Rain who was sitting on one of the stools at the kitchen counter. Storm had used some of the ice they had stored and put it in a bag that Rain was now pressing to her face.

While ice could be used for any number of purposes, Rain and Storm generally just used it to keep food stored long term. Personal ice makers were incredibly expensive and Rain just didn't see the need to have one. So the ice they got was either imported in huge batches by rail from the north or purchased from a very expensive restaurant in the rich part of town that used it for some of their fancy desserts. At first Rain had tried to insist that she didn't need it but Alistair would have none of it. Instead Alistair had turned and glared at Storm who didn't need to be told what was expected of him.

"Let me look at it," Alistair said and Rain pulled the ice away from her face. Reaching out gently Alistair touched her friend's swollen face and ran her thumb over the cut under Rain's eyes. Alistair's eyes hardened when Rain gasped in pain and flinched away from her touch. "It's bad enough they were taunting you but for a hunter to hit a civilian like that? I can't ignore that. I'm not going to sit back and do nothing about this. I'm not going to let them wander the streets and keep doing the same things to someone else," Alistair added firmly. She grabbed a jar of healing salve off the counter. Tearing the lid off she dipped her fingers in and took a deep breath to try and cool her anger before carefully spreading it around Rain's eye.

"I don't want any more trouble, Alistair," Rain said softly and winced again as Alistair hit a tender spot. When she didn't answer, Rain grabbed her hand and held it until she finally met her eyes. "Look... I just... I'm glad you're here, but what if the Guild doesn't do anything like before? What if they just get a slap on the wrist and get released again? You know I'm the first person they'll come after and they'll do a lot more than just give me a black eye. I don't want to put you or the babies at risk," Rain reminded her.

"I'm not going to let them hurt you like that again. Charges brought on by another hunter are a very serious matter. Hunters tend to stick together no matter what. So when a hunter levels charges like this against another the Guild doesn't play around. Especially when they have an eyewitness like Amai. She has no prior grudge against them that could influence her judgment either," Alistair said but Rain didn't look entirely convinced. "The Guild won't just brush this off. They'll be stripped of their Guild rank, license and end up with some serious jail time if anyone else comes forward to back up Amai's account. I think those people at the marketplace will start talking when the Guild Knights come knocking and demand answers as to what really happened," Alistair said confidently.

Upon seeing Rain's confused look she explained saying, "Guild Knights act as bureaucratic agents and a peace keeping force for the Guild. Not just for monsters but for people as well. Civilians are sometimes too scared of retaliation to bring any charges against hunters. So any time it does happen a contingent of Guild Knights are dispatched to bring the accused hunters in and investigate the matter. The Guild is a business not an army. That means people don't _have_ to contact them or use them to get rid of monsters. Their revenue can and will be severely impacted if word gets out that they aren't sufficiently punishing their wayward Hunters. Its happened before and its happening now evidently," Alistair offered and that seemed to reassure Rain a lot more. Lifting her hand again Alistair continued smearing the salve across Rain's eye.

"Besides you're a high-profile case. You know a hunter personally, which would be me. You also have a good history of helping me on my own quests and not only providing sea transport for the Guild, but doing so for free when they have a group that needs to be taken to a local hunting ground near Tanzia Port for an official quest. You're also very well off and while a lot of people may not care for you because of who you like that doesn't change the fact that money still talks. You and Storm are well-known here and you even helped the Guild identify new archeological sites before. People may not like the added effect of the Guild regulations but the purpose was to keep the local ecosystem balanced and keep people safe. The higher ups at the Guild will appreciate that. The simple fact is that they just can't afford to piss off people like you and Storm. They stand to lose too much from it if they did," Alistair said watching Rain's expression.

"So I could have said something before? I always thought the Guild didn't take accusations from civilian's seriously? Especially rich ones who generally have more money then sense. Seen plenty of those," Rain asked. Alistair wiped her hands off and grabbed some cloth to wrap her head with. She started carefully tying the strips of cloth around Rain's head head so they would keep her from rubbing or touching her black eye. It would still be swollen for quite a while but this would still go a long way towards helping it heal.

"I've heard that a lot and while it does happen it's also partially a rumor that perpetrates itself. People feel that the Guild doesn't listen to civilian complaints so they don't bother going to them if they have a bad experience with a hunter which only fuels suspicion even more. Plus there are the times when it ends up being true like what's happening here. We'll register a formal complaint with the local Guild and the regional office. That will get them moving because they know they'll be investigated if they don't act to do something this time," Alistair responded and hesitated when Rain's face fell slightly she knew what was coming next.

"Everyone answers to someone. Still I wonder how many others have been taken advantage of over the years," Rain muttered as she stared down at her hands. Stopping for a moment, Alistair lifted her chin to look Rain in the eyes. The last thing she wanted was to hear Rain blaming herself for any part of what happened today.

"What matters is that we can do something now. The Guild Knights will be by here to confirm Amai's charges and that's when you'll have an opportunity to make some of your own which I definitely would like you to do," Alistair informed as she reached back and finished wrapping Rain's head up. For a moment though she still just sat there and played with her hands before finally speaking up.

"Thanks, Alistair. I'm glad you're here," Rain said softly as she played with the edges of the bandage now covering her left eye. Glancing up hesitantly she offered a tiny smile. "Although to my knowledge I was supposed to be helping you recover. Not the other way around," she added as Alistair took a step back so Rain could stand up.

"Be nice and I'll let you join me in therapy tomorrow," Alistair teased and the joke brought a genuine smile back to Rain's face.

"I think I'll substitute an afternoon in my backyard by the water with my lagiacrus watching over me instead," Rain said as she felt something brush against her leg. Both of them looked down to see Ginouji standing there looking away as if he hadn't done anything. In his mouth was a towel. It was actually a kelbi hide that had been dyed black and it was the same towel that he had found yesterday after they came back from the hospital. Now he absolutely refused to even consider taking a nap without it.

Raising an eyebrow, Alistair looked at her best friend slyly and said, "I think someone is offering you his new favorite blanket to try and make you feel better."

Ginouji tilted his head to look up at Rain. A second later he lifted his head and stretched out the towel to her. Crouching down, Rain accepted it from him and made a show of hugging it to herself.

"Thank you Ginouji. This makes me very happy," Rain said and the Silver Rathalos chirped and hurried away back to where Akairo was playing with his own rope toy. Standing back up Rain chuckled and held the towel out to look at it better. "I have to admit it feels rather strange being given one of my own towels as a gift to cheer me up, but it's still adorable. Your little man is starting to open up rather nicely. I'll be sure to bring this back to him at nap time though," she promised as she looked at who Alistair rubbed the bridge of her nose wearily.

"Please just don't even go there," Alistair said with a groan as Rain laughed at the look on her face. Covering her mouth, Alistair yawned and made a face immediately after she did so. "I guess that angry outburst took more out of me then I thought. I'm going to go lay down. You sure you're going to be all right?" she asked giving her friend a worried look.

"I'm... I'll be okay. I just need a little time is all. Just get some rest and try not to worry about me, okay? You need to be worrying about your own health right now," Rain insisted and Alistair backed off.

"Fine. But only because I'm too tired to argue," Alistair said as she suddenly realized something. "Where did Storm disappear to?" she asked looking around and realizing the man had vanished into thin air again.

Rain leaned over to look past her and frowned slightly, "He must have slipped out when he realized there was no danger of you killing anybody anytime soon," she offered as an explanation as she slipped back into her sandals. "Well I'll be outside so why don't you sleep out there in one of the lounge chairs. I think the sun and water will do your little ones some good while you rest up," Rain said and like clockwork both rathalos hatchlings looked over when Alistair turned to stare at them.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea. I'll start working on lowering my stress levels tomorrow just before I go to therapy," Alistair said with a wry smirk before whistling to the babies who jumped up and ran over to follow her as she headed out towards the back patio and the lake. Shaking her head slightly, Rain grabbed the melting bag of ice and threw it into the freeze box before heading out as well.

* * *

Ginouji had seen mother mad before, but never _that_ mad. She was even more upset then when that big water monster was when it tried to attack them and kill them before. As soon as the new female, Rain, came in mother had started getting upset and shouting. Amai had taken his new friend and left, but not before making sure mother wasn't going to hurt anyone. Akairo had chirped fearfully at seeing mother so upset and ducked out of the way. Ginouji followed him and watched as mother took care of Rain and made sure all her bad hurts were feeling better again. He didn't totally understand what was going on but he knew that someone bad hurt her and that mother wasn't going to let them get away with it.

Mother cared a lot about her and Rain had helped keep them safe and then kept mother safe after the big water monster attacked them. They were friends just like he was friends with the new little fuzzy creature that was usually with Amai. So he wanted to do something to make her feel better. Dashing off he had grabbed his new favorite soft thing and brought it back for her. She seemed really pleased with it and it made him happy to know she liked it.

Now mother was sleeping in the shade with Akairo next to her. The big water monster from before was here laying in the sun, but Ginouji remembered his name. It was Seiva and Seiva liked them. He thought they were small and funny looking. He showed them how to dig a spot in the sand and make themselves comfortable while the sun made them nice and warm. Ginouji liked this new way of sleeping and after making his own spot in the sand he curled up next to Seiva's head to go to sleep.

He couldn't wait for his new friend to get back. Maybe Seiva would like him too and they could all play in the water together like they did before. Ginouji opened one eye to look up at the big monster beside him before closing it and drifting off to sleep.


	14. Strength Comes In Many Forms

 

The therapy center was a pretty impressive building. Nothing at all like the dreary and depressing mental institutions Rain had seen before. The official title on the sign outside was Guild Therapy Center and while it was operated by the Guild it was open to members of the public as well if they had a referral from the right hospital doctor. It was built close to the beach and was surrounded by large tropical trees. It had a stone walkway with swaying coconut palms lining both sides. The walkway led around the side of the building and around to the actual front doors. The waiting room included a large wooden porch so patients could sit there and look out at the beach. The sand began only a few hundred feet through the trees. Wide windows allowed for the cool ocean breeze and the sound of the waves to drift in. The walls were bamboo and the floor was paneled with a tough water-resistant wood. Right by the admission desk there was a hallway leading back to the rest of the sprawling building. There were quite a few private rooms for those patients who required a longer stay as well as a kitchen and showers. At the beginning of the hallway were four doors painted with the names of different doctors. They were here to see one of them.

Wincing slightly Rain rubbed her sore face. The face pack Alistair had wrapped her face up in last night had done wonders for her bruises. Sure her eye was still black and blue but it wasn't the gigantic swollen mess it would have been otherwise. It would still be discolored and probably sore for a couple of days, but it would go down soon enough.

Looking around Rain eyed the paintings and artwork that was hanging on the walls. All peaceful scenes and calming vistas. Even the bamboo was painted a soft blue to help induce a more calming mood in the patients and workers here. Whoever planned this place out had clearly gone to great lengths to make this place as different from the normally stark, chilling mental institutions as possible. Obviously they were going for the mellow, peaceful, "all is calm here" mood.

It was also abundantly clear to everyone that Alistair was not feeling any of it.

Sliding her eyes over, Rain cautiously eyed Alistair who was sitting rigidly in her chair with her arms crossed over her black and gray tie dye tank top. The hunter had been in a foul mood all morning and the sour look on her face now was clear evidence that whatever calming effects the architecture of this building was supposed to have were bouncing right off her. Still it was an improvement from the way she had been crossing and uncrossing her legs or tapping her sandals on the floor when they first arrived. Rain had tried to cheer her best friend up as much as she possibly could and tried complimenting her on the new loose legged white pants she was wearing. Alistair had picked up some new clothes during their shopping trip earlier in the week but unfortunately the words merely elicited a reluctant hum followed by some hunched shoulders.

"This is a lot nicer then what I was expecting. Even Ginouji and Akairo seem relaxed although it helps that there are only a couple other people here," Rain continued persistently to try and break the tension. This time she saw Alistair glance down at the hatchlings who had their harnesses and leashes on right now. Although Ginouji was sticking close to his mom as usual he was curious rather than defensive and ready to bite like she had seen him at other times. Meanwhile, Akairo had finally worked up the courage to venture over to the admission desk where he peeked around and looked up at the receptionist curiously. A moment later he came dashing back with half a coconut in his mouth. Evidently a gift from one of the receptionists. Lifting his head, Ginouji stood up and sniffed at it curiously as Akairo clawed at it with his feet and grumbled with frustration when it refused to yield.

Finally Alistair's mouth quirked up slightly and she uncrossed her arms. Bending over she reached down and took it from them before taking a small pocket knife out of her pants. Carefully she cut a piece of the flesh out and handed it to the babies. Akairo sniffed it curiously before gently taking it from her fingers the way he had learned to do before. Cutting off another piece, Alistair gave some to Ginouji who chirped and squeaked happily as he chewed on it. Seconds later both were begging for her to give them more.

Sighing in relief, Rain allowed herself to relax a bit as Alistair interacted with the two hatchlings. Seeing her best friend so tense and worried wasn't doing her own nerves any favors by a long shot. As expected Storm had gone back to work today and had opened the shop up again so they could sell some of the stuff they had. Amai had declined to go with him, but instead said that she was going to stay at the house and work on training and bonding with Raiden. Naturally there was no way Rain was ever going to let Alistair go through this alone, but she had underestimated just how badly it would it was going to wreck her own nerves. Seeing Alistair upset grated on Rain's emotions like nothing else. It didn't matter what the reason was if she could just make all of this go away for Alistair she would do it in a heartbeat, but instead she was forced to sit here and just offer whatever support she could.

"Alistair?"

Rain looked up to see a man with thin metal rimmed glasses standing there by the admission desk with a large pad of paper in his hands and an ink pen in his pocket.

"I'm the therapist who will be helping you from now on. My name is Bernis Kaine or Doctor Kaine if you prefer," he said as both women stood up. When he moved to take a step closer both rathalos hatchlings backed up and started hissing at him. The look on Alistair's face reflected the same "stay away from me" attitude as the babies.

_Looks like it's up to me,_ Rain considered as she smiled and stepped forward to shake his hand.

"I'm Rain, Alistair's best friend. It's a pleasure to meet you," she greeted him as Alistair crossed her arms and kept her distance. Hurrying along, Rain explained, "The only other experience we've had with therapists is in a more standard mental institutio. Nothing remotely like this," she added looking back and forth between Alistair and Doctor Kaine. Nodding slowly the Doctor turned to her but didn't reach out to her in any way.

"I can't imagine what you must have been put through there, but I would like to say that I plan on doing everything possible to keep you from being admitted here. I believe that you will heal best at a place you feel comfortable with and that would be with your best friend," Doctor Kaine said as Ginouji and Akairo peered out at him from behind their mother's legs. After a moment of suspicious glaring, Alistair shifted slightly and her eyes darted around the room.

"You don't want to try and keep me here? Don't you get paid for that or something?" she asked her voice filled with disbelief. Doctor Kaine rocked back on his heels as he considered that question.

"The Guild has set up buildings and therapy centers like this primarily so that their hunters will be back in working shape mentally and emotionally. If all I did was send them back to hospital and institutions to be medicated or locked up then that would defeat the purpose of them hiring me in the first place. Methods similar to this have been around for centuries if not millenia with some native tribes and nations. They are far more advanced then us in those respects. However now we are beginning to appreciate that fact and apply it in our own cultures and cities," he provided as an explanation. Logical and straightforward. He didn't use a gentle tone of voice that would undoubtedly wound her hunter's pride, but neither did he say it haughtily as if she were dumb should have figured that out by now.

Rain watched and fidgeted with worry as Alistair narrowed her eyes at the man. It was obvious she was thinking over what he just said and after a long moment she finally grunted and dropped her arms to her sides.

"Fine. But I'm not having any part of this without Rain. She has to be in there with me," Alistair said curtly and looked back over at her best friend with a nervous look in her eyes. Rain recognized the gesture as her "I am not okay with this please come back and make me more comfortable again" look. Moving back, Rain put her hand on Alistair's back and could feel the tension radiating throughout her taut muscles. Doctor Kaine merely stepped aside and gestured down the hallway next to him.

"Of course she's welcome to join you. My room is the second door on the right here," he said calmly as Alistair took a deep breath and finally took step forward. Ginouji and Akairo trailed along at her heels as they walked to the door and the doctor opened it for them. Both hatchlings hurried along as quickly as they could when she brushed by Doctor Kaine and went inside the room. The far wall was filled with nothing but bookshelves and medical volumes and in front of it was a wooden desk with files, papers, and writing tools on it. To the right was a plush chair and a very comfortable looking leather-covered couch. Right across from it was another chair that Rain assumed was for the therapist to sit in. In between them was a coffee table with a bowl of berry muffins sitting on it as well as a pitcher of tea.

Alistair didn't hesitate to look around the room from the bookshelves, to the desk and finally to the snacks that had apparently been set up for them. After a moment she walked over and sat down on the couch, but didn't lean back against it. Instead she sat at the edge like she was ready to jump up and bolt at any minute. Akairo went straight for the coffee table and lifted his head to stare over the edge of it. Stretching his neck out he tried to grab one of the muffins, but he wasn't quite big enough for that yet. Ginouji sniffed at the plate but turned his nose up and instead settled down practically on Alistair's feet. Reaching over Alistair grabbed one of the muffins and sniffed it suspiciously before taking a bite and mulling it over. Once she was satisfied it was okay she broke a piece off and handed it to Akairo who eagerly swallowed it down and chirped at her for more of it. Rain walked over and sat down next to Alistair as she continued feeding Akairo the treat.

Doctor Kaine settled down in the chair across from them and wrote a few things down on the pad in his hand.

"First off I'd like to say that I know the raw details of what happened such as your fight with a plesioth and subsequent trip to the hospital afterwards. I was also given a copy of your medical history which is kept on record at all Guild affiliated hospitals so I know the medical details of what happened in Zystae as well after the death of your husband," Doctor Kaine stated simply and then added, "I'd like you to think of this as any other health visit. When it comes to your physical health it is important that you be honest with a doctor about what's going on with your body. It may be embarrassing to you or something you consider to be minor, but if you don't tell them the truth then you could seriously impact your health in the future or even prolong your recovery," Doctor Kaine stated as he looked over at Alistair.

"Mental health is the same way. The questions I ask may not be easy for you to talk about, but if you aren't honest with me then I can't help you. The pace of your recovery will depend in part on how well you are willing to work with me. I'm just like any other doctor. I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong," he offered pointedly and Alistair looked away and picked at her pants for a moment before nodding slowly.

"Then let's get started. What is it that usually triggers your episodes? Is it something specific? Or is it a combination of things?" he questioned and wrote a quick note on the pad now resting in his lap. Alistair fidgeted uncomfortably on the couch before answering.

"There's usually a specific trigger, but it doesn't set me off right away. I keep thinking about it and stressing out about it until something else sets me off again later. It could be a few days or it could be a few weeks. It may be something small," Alistair reluctantly admitted as Akairo bumped his head against her leg demanding attention. Bending over she picked him up and set him down on her left side against the end of the couch. Satisfied he got comfortable and put his head down in her lap.

Doctor Kaine nodded and wrote that down before asking, "And what exactly caused this episode? What's been bothering you lately?"

"My..." Alistair blanched and changed what she was going to say. "The rathalos hatchlings I'm taking care of," she said staring down at Akairo in her lap. Anyone could tell that she was hiding something and so could the therapist.

"What specifically about them? They seem pretty well-mannered to me despite their young age. You seem to be doing a fine job raising them," Doctor Kaine gently prodded. Alistair shrugged and lifted a hand to start playing with her braid nervously. The therapist didn't press her but instead watched her calmly until she let out a heavy sigh of frustration.

"Just... just taking care of them. They... they need me so much right now. As far as they're concerned I'm their..." Alistair's voice cracked and she cleared her throat before continuing, "I'm their mother and that's what they care about most. As long as I'm okay and by their side then everything is fine in their world," she explained her voice getting quieter and quieter until she was practically mumbling the words.

"And that disturbs you? I've seen some people who treat their monster companions as if they were their children..." Doctor Kaine said and when he threw a glance over at Rain she got the distinct impression that he already knew what was going on. He just wanted Alistair to say it out loud.

"But they aren't children!" Alistair blurted out and then her cheeks colored in embarrassment. "They aren't children and treating them like that is only... is only going to make things harder in the end. They may be among the world's most intelligent monsters but they are still not human beings. Treating them like they are is what gets people injured and killed. I've seen it happen before," she added throwing her braid back over her shoulder and crossing her arms. Humming at that information, Doctor Kaine wrote something else down before tapping his pencil on the paper. He opened his mouth to say something but then closed it and waited instead. It took over a minute before Alistair sighed heavily and shifted uncomfortably.

"But... but no matter how hard I try a part of me still wants to treat them like... like my children," Alistair reluctantly admitted. "I know it's foolish... I know how big of a risk that is... I've seen firsthand how badly it can go for people who slip into that kind of mentality, but..." she stopped and looked down at Akairo who was resting comfortably on her lap. "But I want to so badly. I missed my chance at having a child before and now... now it's too late for me. So when these babies hatched literally right into my arms I just..." she stopped and nervously started to play with her braid again. "I just want so badly to be closer to them. If they stay with me then it's only a matter of time until it happens. Until my willpower crumbles and I start treating them like..." Alistair shook her head and forced her hands down into her lap and didn't finish her thought. Rain wasn't surprised by that admission but something told her that wasn't the only problem going on here and apparently the therapist felt the same. Doctor Kaine hummed and tapped his lips with the pen.

"Do you feel like that would be to your detriment?" he asked and she nodded but didn't meet his eyes.

"Mine and theirs. They are not tame creatures and I don't want them to be. Being able to live in the wild and come and go as they please is the best outcome for them. I do honestly believe that. I think getting too attached would hurt me and," Alistair frowned as she tried to think of the right word, "And stunt their growth or something. Inhibit them. Make them easier targets for hunters in the future when they are old enough and start getting the urge to leave and look for their own territory even if it's one nearby," she explained to him. "Does that make sense?" she asked hesitantly.

"Oh of course it does. It is normal to become attached especially to young hatchlings like this who depend on you so much. It's also normal to grieve if something terrible should befall them. However, I can certainly understand your worry that this might aggravate your PTSD symptoms in the future far beyond the normal emotions a person would experience upon the death of their beloved companion," Doctor Kaine agreed and Alistair visibly relaxed a little as he agreed with her. After another moment he added, "Do you feel like you aren't strong enough to handle it?" Alistair flinched at the question and the guilty look in her eyes said it all.

"I _know_ I'm not strong enough to handle it. I'm having a hard enough time now and it has been years since I lost my baby. I don't think I could make it if I got attached to these hatchlings and something bad happened to them," Alistair whispered as she gently ran her fingers down Akairo's spine. The baby shivered and cooed at her touch before happily nuzzling into her side. Doctor Kaine wrote down some more things on his notepad before looking up and glancing between Rain and Alistair.

"Who is a person that you consider to be strong? Someone that you look up to and respect? More than anyone else?" he asked after letting the silence hang between them for a moment. It took quite a while for Alistair to answer this time. When she finally did Rain could tell her friend was highly embarrassed. Alistair mumbled the name at first, but then cleared her throat and said it louder.

"Rain. I think Rain is the strongest person I've ever known," Alistair answered and it was all Rain could do not to stare back at her in shock She was a hunter who took on deadly monsters for a living. Monsters that could and would kill her with a single bite or swipe of their claws if they had the chance. Just a couple days ago she had fought off a huge plesioth. Well huge in Rain's estimation at least. She made her living fighting monsters that would tear a normal citizen to pieces in mere seconds. How could Alistair think _she_ was strong? She was just a civilian. A rich one maybe but just yesterday she'd gotten attacked in broad daylight and couldn't defend herself. How was that strong?

Rain started to say something but a sharp look from Doctor Kaine quickly ended that thought. Instead she shut her mouth and impatiently waited for him to talk.

"And why is that? What is something you specifically respect about her?" Doctor Kaine pressed gently as Alistair picked at her a loose thread on her pants refusing to meet anyone's gaze.

"The way she handles everything she's been through. When something bad happens to her she may be scared or afraid, but she doesn't let that impact her day to day life. She doesn't let fear of what happened control her or keep her locked up inside her house. Sure it may be a bit dangerous here, but so are most other places for her. I've seen people that stubbornly and stupidly refuse to let anyone drive them out of their home even if it comes at the threat of their own life. There's a big difference between that and making the best out of the situation you're in like Rain does," Alistair's cheeks were turning pink and Rain could see that she was embarrassed having to talk about all this.

"And you feel that you are weak by comparison?" Doctor Kaine asked as he glanced down and wrote a short paragraph on his notepad. Alistair started playing with her hair again as she nodded.

"If I go out on a quest and break down like I did the other day," Alistair trailed off and shook her head miserably, "No one is going to come rescue me. No one is going to be there to talk me through it. Sure I kept it together while I was fighting that plesioth but what if I hadn't? What if I couldn't handle it? I can train my body all I want, but if my brain goes into panic mode then all of that hard work is useless. It immobilizes me. I can't just keep going like she does. I may be fine for a while but eventually my PTSD symptoms come back full force," she admitted with a pained grimace. Rain's hands twitched but she kept them where they were despite her urge to reach out and comfort her. Alistair took a deep breath and then let it out heavily.

"Yes, I did help and yes I was very supportive of Rain when she needed me but if I wasn't able to be there for some reason then I know... well I believed that she still would have been strong enough to get through it," Alistair hesitated and halted through the entire sentence like she wasn't entirely sure of herself. "But I... I can't do that. I know that I need to handle this on my own. That I need to learn to manage this on my own without the help of someone else and..." she stopped and quickly brushed a tear away from her eye. "And I can't. I can't do this on my own. I can't get through this without her help," Alistair stopped and gave a bitter laugh.

"I can't even go to the market alone. I have to have someone with me to keep me calm or I'll have a full-blown panic attack. In Loc Lac when I first got there I had everything I needed delivered to my quarters. I would go out the market nearby but only at a time when there were very few other people around. I went on quests obsessively without resting in-between. Being away from the city and away from other people was the only way I could stay calm and collected. As soon as I got back to the city it started all over again," she confessed and Akairo lifted his head as he picked up on her tone of voice. Reaching down she pet him and scratched under his chin to soothe him before he could start worrying too much.

"Over time it got better and my PTSD symptoms started to fade. I was able to start being around people again and move through crowded areas for short periods of time. By the time I met up with Amai and went on the quest where I found these hatchlings I was far better than I had been when I first arrived at Loc Lac. I could keep myself under control and not allow the panic to overtake me the way it did before. I wanted Rain's help so I came here to Tanzia, but now my symptoms are starting up all over again. I'm getting worse and I can feel it more and more every day," Alistair squeezed her eye shut and leaned back against the couch. "I'm tired. I'm tired of being pulled back and forth like a puppet on a string. I want to be able to go out and do normal things again. I want to be able to pass by a mother and her child without going home and having nightmares about it. I want to be able to go out with confidence and just have fun instead of worrying and stressing about how many people will be there, or who I'll have to talk to, or how long it will be before I can leave and get away from the crowd," she sounded exhausted too. Like it was costing her so much just to say the words aloud.

"I need to be able to control this on my own for the sake of my hunting career, but at the same time... I feel like I'm just going to fall apart again if Rain isn't there to help me though it," Alistair whispered as she rubbed her forehead wearily. This time Akairo wasn't going to be soothed and he turned and put his head down on her arm, nuzzling it and licking it with worried chirps bubbling in his throat. Sighing slightly, Alistair let him do it as Ginouji too got up and rubbed against her legs. Doctor Kaine nodded slowly more in thought then agreement as he mulled over what she had just said.

"It's okay. Just take a minute to gather your thoughts. Have something to drink," he offered gesturing to the pitcher of tea on the table.

Reaching over Rain grabbed a glass and poured a liberal amount of tea into it before leaning back and nudging Alistair to get her attention. She gratefully accepted the cup and drank quite a bit before lowering the cup and twisting it around in her hands.

"I feel bad though..." Alistair said suddenly. "I feel bad saying that I need to do this on my own because I know how much Rain wants to help me through this. I just don't know what to do..." she looked up at Doctor Kaine who set his pen and notepad down on the table and clasped his hands together in his lap.

"And that is exactly why I am here. To help you learn to deal with this and to manage your Post Traumatic Stress. Not only that but I can see from your words about Loc Lac that you have developed anxiety issues in addition to your PTSD. It will not be a quick or easy recovery for you but I promise you recovery _is_ possible. While it is understandable to want to arrive at the point where you will not be so dependent on Rain for your mental stability, for right now I believe that the best course of action is to allow her to help you," Doctor Kaine said and switched his gaze over to Rain.

"The next time Alistair starts getting upset, anxious, stressed out, irritated, has a nightmare, or shows some other symptoms I want you to do more than just comfort her and talk down her anxiety. Get Alistair to speak about it herself. If she seems irritated and snappish then get her to tell you why. If she seems confused and unsure of where she is then don't just tell her where she is help her to come to that conclusion on her own. Gently point out things around her and ask questions pertaining to your current location. These are things that she will soon learn to do herself without help or prodding from others. If you are at the market and she starts getting anxious then it's perfectly okay to step away, get her some water or shade until she calms down. However, don't just leave and go home as that will only stall her progress. Get her to go back and shop some more or just walk a little farther down the street. If she can't do it then that's fine, but try to make more and more progress and go farther with it each time it happens," Doctor Kaine carefully instructed and Rain nodded and silently committed those points to her memory. She could definitely do that. Especially if it meant helping Alistair.

"Now as for Guild quests I am going to put in a notice that you are forbidden from going out _alone_ ," he pointed out and help up a finger, "I will also add that going on a quest with another hunter will be fine. Preferably the one who was there helping you fight that plesioth. I will not bar you from hunting down larger or more dangerous monsters though, since I assume you are smart enough to gauge for yourself whether or not you are up to such a task..." the therapist stopped and gave her questioning look as she drank more of her tea. Alistair blanched and looked away as she drained her cup and put it down on the table.

"I think for now I want to focus primarily on raising these hatchlings. I'd like monsters such as that plesioth to be the rare exception instead of the rule for a little while," she offered and he seemed satisfied enough with that.

"Then I'd say that's more than enough for one day. I've given you some things to think about and to work on so I'll see you again three days from now at the start of next week," Doctor Kaine said as he stood up. Rain did the same as Alistair picked up Akairo and put him back down on the ground. Standing up she wrapped their harness leashes around one of her hands. Teaching them not to dash off and yank on her arm when they saw something that caught their interest was still very much a work in progress.

"Thank you. I can't promise I'll be any less suspicious next time, but I do want to get better," Alistair said and extended her hand as a piece offering. With a slight chuckle Doctor Kaine stepped forward and took her hand in his.

"Believe me you are not the worse case I've seen nor are you the most suspicious by a long shot but that is another story for another time," Doctor Kaine said as he let go of her hand and walked with them towards the door. "Also please remember that you are free to come by even if we don't have an appointment. If you ever need to talk something over with me then feel free to come by. If I'm not here or immediately available then leave a message and an address where I can find you," he added as he opened the door for Rain to walk through, but stopped Alistair before she could leave. "Anyone can refuse aid and reject a helping hand when it is offered to them. That is very easy to do. However acknowledging that you not only want, but _need_ someone else's help takes tremendous courage. It goes against most hunter's sense of pride to accept any kind of help," he said pointedly.

Alistair hesitated and frowned slightly at his words but didn't comment on it.

* * *

"Remember what your therapist said," Rain urged as Alistair gritted her teeth and fought down another wave of anxiety. They were at the market right now and Rain was haggling with a shop keeper over how much it would cost to have a crate of tropical seaberry fruit juice delivered to her house.

"I remember exactly what the therapist said! That doesn't mean I have to like it," Alistair grumbled and glared daggers at a man who had slowed down to stare at them and see what the commotion was all about. "Did we have to come now? You know I hate crowds," she added her anxiety level rising as a woman pressed past her to look at some of the juice selections available. Rain paused in her haggling for a moment to turn around and look at her.

"What time of day is it?" Rain asked gently.

Glancing up at the sun and clouds Alistair calculated the time. "It's early afternoon," she mumbled knowing the point her friend was trying to make.

"So how busy is the market right now?" Rain added as she reached into her pocket for her wallet.

"Stop treating me like I'm a spooked kelbi!" Alistair snarled at her best friend as she placed an order with the stall keeper and paid up for it. Turning around Rain walked over and put an arm around her supportively until Alistair finally answered.

"It's the lightest part of the day. The crowds will pick back up again later as the sun starts to set and shopkeepers cut their prices to try and get rid of anything and everything that will be spoiled by tomorrow. It's not really that busy I'm just making things worse than they actually are because I don't like crowds anyway," Alistair admitted as she let the aggravation drain out of her voice. Rain squeezed her affectionately and guided her away from the stall and back down the road. She reached for Alistair's free hand and laced her fingers through as they walked.

"Exactly and I'm very proud of you for coming and doing this. You came out shopping with me for new clothes earlier this week too," Rain said and although Alistair knew she was trying to be helpful she still couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"And I got so aggravated and anxious then that I nearly broke the shop keeper's hand when he was trying to measure my waistline to see what size would fit me best," Alistair pointed out and Rain smiled at that.

"But you didn't have a full-blown panic attack did you? That's an improvement. Besides they splinted his fingers, he'll be fine," Alistair pointed out as they walked underneath the colorful, fluttering panels of cloth that hung out from the market stalls and served as shade. Still she couldn't help but perk up a bit at that. Rain had a good point maybe it was a small step but it was still a step in the right direction. After a second she realized something and turned a suspicious look on her best friend.

"You're just trying to distract me so I'll get my mind off my anxiety aren't you?" Alistair questioned and received a shameless look in return.

"You have to calm a spooked kelbi down somehow don't you?" Rain said with a smile. Alistair didn't bother to fight the smile that broke out across her own face at that admission. Taking a deep breath she let it out and squeezed her best friend's hand. Her anxiety was still there but it had settled down into more controllable itch instead of a dangerous boil.

"Thank you for helping me out like this. You're a much better friend then I deserve," Alistair said gratefully as they walked. Both hatchlings were walking ahead of them and darting back and forth the minute something fluttered by. Ginouji had caught a silver ribbon that was fluttering by on the wind and was now holding it in his mouth refusing to let go of it now matter how much his brother tried to snatch it away.

"Hey you'd do the same thing for me any day if you had the chance," Rain said and then rubbed her neck hesitantly. "Do you really think I'm strong?" she asked and Alistair nodded.

"Of course I do. I mean look at you. Look at what you deal with every day. What you've been through with your parents. The friends you used to have. Relationships and friendships in general. That takes a lot of strength. A lot more than I have," Alistair said and she meant it. Fighting monsters was easy. They want to eat you, kill you, or are just defending their territory, their babies, or their mate. It was her job to stay alive and keep them from doing more damage to innocent civilians by taking them down or capturing them so they could be relocated. Trying to communicate and form stable meaningful relationships with other people was a nightmare by comparison as far as she was concerned.

Rain looked like she wanted to say something and Alistair had just enough time to realize the hatchlings had retreated to a position behind her when they were interrupted by a sharp laugh.

"Well isn't this just so sweet and endearing. I'm just all mushy inside."

Alistair could feel Rain tense up and she reached over to touch her friend's arm before she could jerk it away reflexively. Rain looked over at her with a worried look of her own, but Alistair squeezed her hand silently and turned her attention to the other hunter. It was none other than Narane. Along with Reno and her younger sister Faun they had been a thorn in Rain's side for more years then Alistair cared to count. She was tired of these people targeting Rain and making her life miserable. Hopefully the charges Amai had brought against them would be the last of it. They didn't deserve to be called hunters not Narane and Caster who actively bullied Rain and not Faun who followed them around and enabled their behavior.

"Where's the rest of your pack? I mean the rest of your family," Alistair asked calmly as Narane's eyes slid over to Rain. More specifically to her bruised face. A smirk crawled across her lips at the sight.

"Oh what happened to you little Rain cloud? You didn't hit on some guy's girlfriend did you?" she sneered and Alistair's bristled at the woman's mocking tone of voice.

"Don't act cute. You were right there when your brother assaulted her and you'd better believe you're not getting away with it this time. Maybe no one could bring charges against you before just for taunting and teasing her, but punching a civilian is an entirely different matter," Alistair shot back and when the woman's face darkened she knew she'd hit a nerve.

Just this morning a courier had knocked at the door with a letter stating that the Guild Knights were investigating the matter and interviewing all available witnesses. Guild Knights did not waste time especially when the Guild's reputation was threatened by a wayward hunter. They moved very swiftly and concluded most of their cases in weeks or even days. Those Guild Knights who investigated disputes like this between hunters and civilians were also granted the authority to pass judgment immediately and even carry out executions. However, that only happened when a civilian was critically injured or killed as the result of what a hunter had done and in the very long history of the Guild there were only about 15 such cases of a Guild Knight passing judgment on their own.

Narane bristled defensively and said, "I bet you thought that was a real smooth move don't you? I went to take on a quest this morning with Caster and instead we nearly got arrested by the Guild Knights. We're forbidden from taking on any quests or arena events indefinitely. If we aren't in our assigned Guild quarters at sundown tonight for questioning then we'll immediately be arrested." When she stepped forward angrily, Alistair dropped Rain's hand and met her toe to toe. The other woman may be taller, but Alistair was tougher physically and both of them knew it.

"Guild Knights always interview witnesses first and suspects last. They say it helps them get a more accurate picture of what happened. These civilians may not stand up for Rain in a pinch, but they certainly aren't going to lie to a Guild Knight either when one is standing in front of them and carrying a blade almost as long as their body," Alistair said unmoved by the woman's looming posture. There were a lot of things that scared her and made her anxious, but standing up for her friend would never be one of them. "I'd start packing your bags if I were you. Those Guild quarters aren't going to be yours for much longer. You'll be out on the streets before next week is over," she added with a sneer of her own.

Gritting her teeth, Narane pointed at Rain angrily.

"A black eye is the least of your trouble's now. I am not letting you get away with this. Not you and not Storm. I may get turned out by the Guild but you can be sure that I will _not_ let you get away with this!" Narane said warningly to her. If a hunter was stripped of their rank and turned out by the Guild then they were evicted from their assigned living quarters and all their hunting items were confiscated. Even the money they had earned from quests was taken from them which essentially left them destitute unless they were conducting a business on the side and very, very few hunters had time for that kind of thing.

Alistair recognized a threat when she saw one and she didn't hesitate to call the woman out on it.

"Is that a threat?" she demanded and the woman shoved her back out of her face.

"You bet it is. I'm gonna make sure you remember what you did to us for a long, long time," Narane spat giving both of them a nasty look. Now Rain spoke up and Alistair knew her presence was giving her friend more confidence then she might otherwise have had.

"Sorry but I'll be going out to sea with Storm soon. One can only hope that when we get back I'll be too busy getting some actual work done to see you and your family get what's coming to them. Maybe next time," Rain said and Narane's eyes flashed with rage, but the woman merely clenched her fists and took a step back.

"Keep talking and we'll see who gets the last laugh in the end," Narane said before lifting her chin haughtily and turning around on her heel to storm off down the road.

Alistair sighed slightly and then looked down at the hatchlings. She'd forgotten all about them and thankfully they were still there, but both of them were back by Rain's side. Narane had been so focused on her threats that she hadn't even noticed them. Now both rathalos hatchlings came back and neither one looked very happy. Ginouji for his part was staring after Narane with such intense suspicion that he nearly jumped right out of his skin when Alistair walked over and touched him on the side.

"Easy there tough guy she's gone," Alistair assured him, but he still gave a throaty hum and fluttered his wings uneasily. Akairo hissed and scratched the floor with his talons and the motion reminded Alistair's of an adult male getting ready to charge. It's a good thing they weren't any bigger and bolder.

"You didn't have to stand up for me like that," Rain said suddenly and Alistair straightened up and glared at her.

"Look. I may not consider myself to be the strongest or most courageous person around, but I am not going to let anything or anyone hold me back from defending my best friend," Alistair said firmly. "I'm not ashamed of you and I'm not going to let anyone make me be ashamed of being seen with you. If they don't like it then that is just too bad," she added crossing her arms defiantly.

Rain's mouth twitched up into a smile as she rubbed her bruised eye.

"Thanks, I really needed to hear that," she looked embarrassed so Alistair changed to subject.

"Come on. Let's get back. I really need to relax and de-stress from all this," she said and Rain nodded in agreement as they headed back towards her home.

Still Narane's threat continued to sit uneasily in the back of her mind. A person who carried enough hatred and prejudice in their heart might be desperate enough to do just about anything.


	15. Jealousy Rears Its Ugly Head

They had everything planned out for today. Storm was going to work half a day and then come back and make the Goldenfish lunch that he had evidently promised Amai he would cook. Alistair was incredibly sorry to have missed that conversation. Rain had tried to tell Alistair the details after they brought her home from the hospital but the lingering sedatives meant that her memories of that afternoon were pretty hazy. They were all just going to relax around the house and let the babies have a play date. Amai had planned on reading one of Storm's books most of the day while Alistair and Rain looked through the research book she had brought with her from Loc Lac. They were going to make up a list of any information they felt might be vital. The Guild Knights had already been by this morning to interview all of them and take down their statement about what had happened when Rain was assaulted at the market. So it should have been a calm uneventful day.

_Should_ have been.

When the knock came at the door Alistair frowned and looked around. They were just getting ready to sit down with her book and start their research so Rain had gone to grab some paper and writing tools. Amai was laying down on the couch reading one of Storm's action packed novels about pirates and adventurous sailors. However when the knock came she lowered the book and lifted her head.

"Were you expecting someone?" Amai asked and Alistair shook her head and stood up from the table.

"Maybe it's just a courier with the mail or something," Alistair said and headed towards the front door. Ginouji was too busy playing tug-of-war with Raiden while Akairo bounced back and forth excitedly as they pulled and tugged on the toy Amai had originally made just for him.

Walking up to the door Alistair opened it and had to shift her gaze down slightly. The androgynous young man in front of her now had unusually pale white skin, unusual because most people around here were darker skinned and those that weren't were usually a lot more tan from the sun like Rain was. So he must be from somewhere else originally. He had pale blonde hair twisted into long braid that hung down his back. His brown eyes were wandering around and scanning the front of the house, but he turned back and smiled warmly at her after a moment. He looked awfully young and Alistair was taller than him by a few inches so he couldn't be much more than five and a half feet tall.

"Ummm... hi?" Alistair said as she tried to refocus. His white shirt had a blue wave and moon symbol on the left side over his heart to symbolize the coastal research center. His dark blue pants had the same symbol on the left leg. A black satchel hung at his waist as well.

"Hi! I'm Aureus! Are you Alistair?" he asked still smiling at her.

"Yeah, why do you want to know?" Alistair countered suspiciously.

"I'm from the Tropical and Marine Research Institute on the other side of town. The Desert Ecology Research Institute in Loc Lac was notified of your transfer here to Tanzia Port. Your sister Sky wanted someone to come and check up regularly on you and take care of your weekly reports updating her on the progress of..." Aureus stopped and lifted a small slip of paper that was in his hand. "Two rathalos hatchlings by the names of Akairo and Ginouji. She wanted to know why the first one hasn't come in yet, but I'm sure that's just because you needed time to settle in here, right?" he said with a positively innocent smile.

"Right. Right of course just settling in," Alistair confirmed with a nod.

She had forgotten all about that.

_I'm surprised Sky didn't come flying over here herself to stare down her nose at me and complain about how slow I am writing reports back to her,_ Alistair thought as she looked the guy up and down. The idea of writing reports back to her sister had slipped her mind the second she had walked out of the Research Center in Loc Lac. Now she was harshly reminded of the fact that she only had custody of Akairo; Ginouji wasn't legally hers yet since her custody of him was only temporary.

"Well that's no problem I can take care of that on my visit today. Sky actually requested someone else, but he was called out to examine a group of sick epioth that keeps getting themselves beached about 10 miles from here just where the mangrove swamp starts. I can't imagine why she picked him though I mean he's good at what he does, but he's not a people person at all. He's much better in the field then he is dealing with people," Aureus went on barely stopping to take a breath in between his sentences. "He's going to bring them all in and give them some medicine to try and get them well again before releasing them which will take over a month probably. So I was assigned to help you out instead. We work hands on with mostly marine monsters, but we also study the local ecosystem. My parents have been studying Big Blue and his mate Scarlet for over 30 years now so I have all of their research as well as what I've done on my own and accumulated from other sources. So I hope I can help you out with your hatchlings because it's really important that they form a close bond with you while they're young, but I can tell you all about that later on," Aureus finally stopped to take a breath and Alistair quickly held her hands up.

"Whoa, whoa! Slow down there and let me process all of this for a moment," Alistair said and he laughed and rubbed his neck.

"Sorry I just really love my job and learning more about monsters and how they live. I'm really looking forward to this," Aureus apologized with a smile.

"Wait who is Big Blue?" Alistair asked as her mind caught up to some of what he had just said.

"Oh, that's what we call the Azure Rathalos who lives in the area since he's much larger than average. We call his mate Scarlet because the patterns on her wings are bright red," he clarified as a scuffle came from behind her. Looking over her shoulder, Alistair saw Rain standing behind her with a curious look on her face.

"Sorry, why don't you come inside?" Alistair said as she backed up and motioned for him to come inside.

"Thanks! Who built this place? It's so awesome! The lake and river in back leads right into the jungle and the beach is a quick walk down the road. Plus the docks and city center are close enough to walk to in no time at all," Aureus chattered away as he walked through the entryway and into the house. Rain watched him walk by and then looked at Alistair with a "who in the world is this?" look.

"My loving sister refused to give me full custody of Ginouji and demanded that I send her weekly reports via express mail. Apparently he is here to check up on me," Alistair explained quietly as Amai rolled off the couch and stood up to greet Aureus.

"Let me guess, you forgot all about it the second you walked out of the room she was in?" Rain asked with a raised eyebrow and Alistair flushed.

"Hey I've had a lot on my mind lately okay?" she countered defensively and Rain cocked her head to one side, but did say anything else. Amai was already staring at Aureus through narrowed eyes as he walked in.

"How old are you anyway?" Amai asked blatantly and Alistair groaned and face-palmed. Yeah she may have been wondering the same thing, but she wasn't just going to ask like that. Apparently Aureus wasn't bothered by it, though.

"Me? I'm 24," he said with the same wide smile as Alistair walked up beside her.

"There is _no way_ he's older than I am!" Amai hissed in obvious shock as Alistair not so subtly pushed her out of the way and hissed at her not to be rude.

Aureus looked around and spotted the two rathalos near the table. They had stopped playing when he came in and were now crouched down and staring at him from between the chair legs. Raiden had gone running back to Amai who had promptly scooped the puppy into her arms. Her constant presence and work with him was quickly paying off and the zinogre puppy was now taking to her rather well as a substitute mom.

Crouching down, Aureus watched the rathalos hatchlings curiously and said, "How would you measure their sociability? Skye's initial report claims that the silver one has some dangerous habits." He looked back up at Alistair who had come over to stand beside him.

"Ginouji has definitely improved. He doesn't mind being around people so long as they leave him alone. I've been working with him to keep him from biting as much and he has improved, but he's not a tame animal so I wouldn't push it. He's suspicious by nature and prefers to stay by my side when we're out in public," Alistair explained and Aureus nodded.

"What about the other one?"

"Akairo is a lot more people friendly and more trusting. He'll wander around in public and is generally okay around other people as long as they don't make any sudden moves towards him or reach out towards him. He's more willing to give people a chance, but he's not completely trusting," Alistair added.

"Totally makes sense. Is it okay if I just sit here for minute? Making myself smaller and less threatening might encourage them to come a little closer," Aureus said and even as he spoke Akairo came stalking over. The baby had his head lowered and he circled the young man warily. When Aureus sat still and didn't move or touch him, Akairo took a few steps closer to his back and sniffed him up and down. Backing up he waited for the newcomer to move, but when Aureus just sat there he walked around in front of him and chirped curiously.

"Hey there little guy," Aureus said softly and Akairo lifted his head slightly more curious than afraid. Slowly lifting his hand, Aureus held his empty palm out and let the baby sniff it, but he didn't try to pet him or touch him in any other way. "I think this level of comfort with people is appropriate," he added as Akairo backed off and went back to Alistair's other side where he continued to watch the young man curiously. "You don't want them hating everybody they meet, but you also don't want them running up to strangers like they're someone's pet. It will take a while to work out a good balance, but the way Akairo is reacting now is a good baseline to go by," Aureus said as he turned around and looked up at Alistair.

"He's curious enough to come up and see what I'm all about, but smart enough not to trust me right off," he added as Ginouji finally came over, but he stayed farther away then his brother did. Still he didn't hiss or show any other threatening gestures so that was much better than before when he nearly took Sky's nose off. Ginouji got close enough to nibble his shorts, before darting back. A few seconds later the Silver Rathalos came back and picked at the woven bracelet on Aureus' left wrist.

"Oh you like this?" he said and widened the bracelet knots before slipping it off his wrist and holding it out to the baby. Ginouji's eyes narrowed until they were mere slits. He shifted back and forth from foot to foot and opened and closed his wings as his natural suspicion fought with this growing curiosity. After a moment he leaned forward and snatched it off Aureus' palm before retreating back to the safety that was his mother. He stood there picking the woven bracelet apart with his teeth and talons.

"Much better than Sky's report lead me to believe and I can see from the gleam of their scales that they've been fed well," Aureus said as both babies peered out from behind Alistair's legs. "Also the fact that they went straight to you for safety and reassurance shows their trust and faith in you," he added as he stood back up. Ginouji hummed and pressed against Alistair's legs, but didn't run away.

"I still want to make some more observations, but I can tell by their looks alone that they are very healthy," Aureus said as his eyes drifted over to Amai who was still holding Raiden. "Oh how cute! I got word about a zinogre puppy that had been adopted. I have paperwork in here somewhere..." he mumbled to himself as he reached into the bag at his side and pulled out some papers. "Here we go! Just a quick physical examination and some observations is all I'll need to finalize your custody of him," he added with a smile as Raiden whined and buried his head as far under Amai's arm as he could nudge himself.

"Really? I thought it would take longer than that but I won't complain. Just so you know this is only the fourth day that I've actually had him myself, but I am trying to get him socialized more," Amai said as he walked over and leaned closer to the puppy. Right away Raiden started whining and looked back up at Amai for help as his physical exam started.

"Well his coat is very soft and thick as it should be. His hide is smooth and his paw pads are soft and the claws on them are nicely firm and glossy, but not overly tough or brittle like they would be if he were malnourished or lacking some essential vitamins," Aureus said as he gently took one of the puppy's legs in his hands to examine it. Then he ran his hands over the puppy's back. "These yellow bumps are actually similar to the material that makes up our own hair or fingernails. They'll grow bigger as he gets older and they are highly conductive and will stand up when he's charged with electricity. At this age his electric capabilities will be all over the place so don't be surprised if you see him sparking, glowing, or letting loose small bolts of electricity if he sneezes, is startled, or starts dreaming. Zinogre fur tends to glow when they dream, but no one knows why exactly. Still pretty cool to watch though," he added as Rain frowned slightly and walked up beside Alistair. She didn't say anything, but Alistair could tell her friend wasn't entirely pleased by this intrusion.

"One look at your teeth and then I'll be done, I promise," Aureus said as he lifted the puppy's head and used his thumb to open his jaws and examine inside his mouth. "Nice pink gums and I can see some little teeth coming in nice and white. He's going to start teething if he hasn't already so his mouth is going to be sore and uncomfortable for a while yet. I recommend a soft wool toy for him or just a strip of wool hide will help him," he added letting the puppy go and taking a few steps back. Raiden kept whining and struggled in Amai's arms as he tried to press closer to her.

"Oh quit it. I'm not going anywhere," Amai complained as she shifted the puppy in his arms so he could put his head down on her shoulder.

"Well if that doesn't speak volumes then nothing does. I'll need to do a house inspection to check for potential safety dangers, but after that..." Aureus paused and looked over at Alistair who was crouched down and had her arms around Ginouji who was cuddling close to her side. "...after that I see no reason to keep you from having full custody of Ginouji and to finalize your custody of the zinogre puppy," he said as he looked around the area before his eyes landed on Rain.

"Sorry! I'm totally into my job aren't I? Are you the homeowner? This is a lovely place you've got here!" Aureus said holding out his hand. He was being genuinely friendly, but Alistair still had to nudge Rain to get her to shake his hand though because the look on her face said she was not happy. Before Alistair could wonder at that reaction the sound of the front door opening came and Storm walked with several goldenfish thrown over his shoulder.

"Hey," Storm greeted simply with a nod and both rathalos hatchlings chirped and squeaked to greet him as he walked over to the group. "Here to check on our little pack of troublemakers I assume," he said his eyes going to the blue symbol on Aureus' shirt as he shook his hand.

"Yep! And so far everything checks out. I was just telling these ladies that I needed to do a safety inspection of the house and surrounding grounds before I can let them sign off on the final custody and adoption papers," he said and Storm took one look at the scowl on Rain's face before motioning towards the kitchen.

"Sounds good. I'll put these fish away and then I'll show you around myself," Storm said and Aureus trailed along at the much taller man's side chattering the entire time. While Storm took care of him, Alistair turned back to her best friend who was standing there with her arms crossed.

"What's with you? You looked like you just got stung by an angry bahabra or something," Amai said taking note of Rain's suddenly sour attitude. This wasn't like her.

"I'm _fine_ ," Rain said curtly and Alistair raised an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips which only resulted in Rain scowling even more. "Let's just get this over with. We have better things to do," she snapped the words this time and stalked off towards the kitchen. Alistair dropped her hands and shook her head.

"What's with her?" she asked mostly to herself, but naturally Amai chimed in anyway.

"If you ask me I say she's jealous," Amai chirped as a sly grin crept across her lips. Alistair frowned and looked at her askance.

"Why would she be jealous?" she asked genuinely confused. That didn't make any sense.

"Oh, my dear Alistair," Amai said with a dramatic sigh as she bounced Raiden up and down in her arms to soothe him. "Trust me. She is jealous. You may not know or understand why, but I know that reaction when I see it. She's jealous," she added with a firm nod before walking off. Alistair opened her mouth and then closed it.

_That's ridiculous. What would she even have to be upset over? Amai must be mistaken,_ Alistair thought with a shake of her head as she dismissed the idea and walked back over to the kitchen were everyone else had relocated.

* * *

An hour later Alistair was convinced beyond any shade of doubt that Rain was jealous. Why she was jealous was an entirely different matter but for the past hour she had been sulking and growing more and more irritated and snappish as time went on.

Storm had shown Aureus around the house and the researcher had declared that everything was safe. They didn't keep small objects on or near the floor where the babies might reach them and the surrounding area was free of any plants that could prove toxic should one of the baby monsters decide to chew on it. After seeing proof that both Ginouji and Akairo knew how to swim he asked Amai to put Raiden in the water as well. The puppy had immediately started to dog paddle around the lake quite well although he mostly just followed Amai around wherever she went.

Now they were back inside and Aureus had seen the book sitting on the table. The one that she was going to pour through with Rain. Right away Aureus had run over to it excitedly and started rambling off information about how it provided a lot of valuable information and insight into different monsters in a concise and straightforward manner despite some of it's flaws and shortcomings. Alistair had tuned him out after that since he just kept going on and on about it. Aureus obviously wanted to pour through it and discuss it with them so Storm had invited him to stay and have lunch. The second he did so Alistair could literally see Rain's hackles rising and she had half expected her to hiss as the young man accepted the invitation.

Then Alistair saw Rain visible tense up when she saw Aureus grabbed the seat right beside her. The flash of jealousy in Rain's eyes when she saw him sit next to Alistair was so obvious she might as well have had the word stamped across her forehead. Aureus for his part was too engrossed in looking through the book to realize the angry stare that was being leveled at him as Rain was forced to sit down across from them. For once Ginouji had chosen not to stick close to his mother's side since it involved being closer to Aureus then he evidently liked. Instead Akairo was under Alistair's chair while Ginouji stuck next to Rain.

Glancing over at her friend, Alistair saw that Rain's lips were still pursed as if she had tasted something incredibly sour and the obviously irritated look in her eyes would have made an agnaktor sweat. Amai was sitting beside her feeding Raiden a bottle of milk while Storm stood in the kitchen cooking up the special meal he'd promised Amai back at the hospital.

Pulling her attention back to the matter at hand, Alistair tried to focus as Aureus rambled off information.

"This book mostly covers the intelligence level's of different monsters and how that affects their relationships with their family, mate, offspring, or human partners. I do have other books about monsters that you might enjoy though. We should look over it sometime," Aureus said and his face lit up as a thought occurred to him. "Hey! You could always swing by my place! It's pretty close to the Research Center and we could go over them together!" The smile on his face was filled with angelic innocence, but when Alistair looked over at Rain the woman was clenching her fists so tightly her knuckles were turning white.

"Ummm, thanks for the offer but why don't you write down the name of the books and I'll see if I can order them?" Alistair said switching her gaze back to Aureus who blinked and easily shrugged it off.

"That's a good idea! It's definitely something you'll want to keep on hand and refer to in the months and years to come. I'll put in an order for you and swing back by here when it comes in," he offered and Alistair could see Rain rolling her eyes from the corner of her gaze. When Alistair's eyes fell on Amai the young hunter smirked and mouthed the words "jealous" to her across the table.

"So what else should I know right away?" Alistair said ignoring her as she continued feeding Raiden his bottle.

"First off I'd like to try feeding Ginouji different types of metal ore. Although we aren't sure yet there are theories that Silver Rathalos stick to locations that are rich in a specific metal and will supplement their diet with it. A Silver Rathalos hide is much tougher stronger than normal and it's very hard to cut through even with the best weapons. Researchers have found that the iron content of their blood is also several times higher than that of Red or Azure Rathalos. Although there's proof their silver color is the result of a recessive gene in both parents that doesn't explain the metallic qualities of their hide," Aureus said as he reached into his bag and pulled out a few pieces of ore. The biggest was still only about four inches across. "Eating iron ore would explain why their hides are so much stronger, but not why they have such a metallic gleam to them as they get older. Some researcher suggest that maybe they eat iron ore along with armor stone, isisium, or maybe even light crystal," Aureus said as leaned over and peered under the table.

"Hey there little guy. Why don't you try some of these on for size?" Aureus said as he rolled the small pieces of ore over to Ginouji. Akairo stood up and went over to see what they were, but quickly lost interest and went back to his spot under Alistair's chair to lay back down. Ginouji however gurgled curiously and stood up to sniff at them all curiously. He picked one of them up and tossed it aside with disinterest.

"Okay so it's not light crystal," Aureus said still leaning over to watch what the Silver Rathalos would do. Now Alistair was bending over to look along with Rain and Amai. Moving to the second piece Ginouji sniffed it and then his small pink tongue flicked out to lick it. With a small cheep he picked it up and swallowed it down whole then he sniffed the next one and swallowed that as well.

"Just like I thought. He ate the iron and armor stone. Armor stone is smelted and used to coat metal armor. It keeps metal shiny and prevents rusting and heat damage which makes it invaluable over the career of a hunter who might use that armor in the water, in the desert, or in a volcanic region," Aureus commented as Ginouji sniffed and bit the last piece of ore before tossing it aside and sticking his tongue out with distaste. "We have a winner! There's an iron mine about 25 miles from here. The pieces they throw away as scrap will be perfect for your Silver Rathalos here and they haul it into the Port once a week. Armor stone is brought in by the local sailors so you should be able to buy pieces of that at the market or get odds and ends from the Wyverian Armory. I recommend just one small piece of each type of ore every day after he eats a meal. We'll increase that later as he gets bigger," Aureus said as he straightened up and wrote that information down on a medium-sized notepad.

"Food's almost done!" Storm called out to them from the kitchen. Raiden had finished his bottle and was already yawning sleepily.

"I'll just put this guy down for a nap and I'll be right back," Amai said as she put the bottle down on the table and stood up to head back to her room. Ginouji watched her go and hesitated for a few seconds trying to decide if he wanted to follow his new best friend or not. After another moment of thought he turned and hurried off down the hallway after her with Akairo looking around and then following along to see what the fuss was all about.

"Here are the papers. Just sign at the bottom and you're good to go," Aureus said as he slid some papers and a pen over to Alistair. Nodding she wrote her name at the bottom of each piece of paper and let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. He had already had Amai sign her papers.

"So Ginouji is really hers now? No fine print?" Rain said suddenly and Aureus nodded as he put the papers away.

"Sure is! There's a standard twice a year check up for all monsters, but you have to be abusing or neglecting them pretty badly to have them taken away. I don't see there being any problems especially with an environment as nice and supportive as this one," Aureus replied and Rain hummed and looked away again. "If you're not busy then maybe we could take a trip to the Armory together in a few days. I can show you which pieces of iron ore and armor stone will be best for Ginouji and which ones you should definitely avoid. Until then I can bring a small bag by for you," he offered turning back to Alistair who in turn glanced over to Rain who was now gritting her teeth.

"Thanks I'd appreciate that. I'll get back to you on when we can go," Alistair said as Amai walked back in from the hallway.

"All three babies are now laying down and sleeping peacefully," Amai said as she rubbed her stomach. "Oh that smells so good. Thanks again, Storm," she said louder and the man merely grunted as he took the various pans off the fire.

"Okay everyone time to eat!" Storm said as he grabbed a stack of plates and utensils and put them on the counter next to him. Amai was the first to grab her food her stomach rumbling hungrily the entire time. Aureus was next with Rain glowering at his back the entire time. Alistair walked behind her trying to figure out what exactly about this was bothering her so much. The woman continued staring at him as he walked by and took his food to the table.

"When I come back by with those books we should go through some of it together. There are some chapters in it that I really want to highlight for you," Aureus said as he put the plate down on the dining room table. Rain was reaching past Alistair's shoulder to grab a plate when he said this and she could feel her friend's body tense up behind her.

"Is that really necessary?" Rain asked although it came across as more of a demand. "My dad used to work with the Research Center here as well and my mother still does work at the healing pools. It may not be my field of expertise but I do know enough about the local ecology. Couldn't I take care of that myself?" she managed to tone down the harshness in her tone this time, but just barely. Alistair looked over at Amai who was sitting at the table and saw her mouth the words "jealous" once again.

If she was sitting any closer Alistair would have thrown something at her to shut her up.

"Of course I should come back! I'd hate for you to miss something. There are a lot of small details in there that are really important, but I'd love to have you join us and get your input. I'd love to hear more about your mom too. It's a big place but I must know who she is and have worked with her before," Aureus said either oblivious to Rain's irritation towards him or just choosing to ignore it.

"I can take care of her myself," Rain muttered under her breath as she grabbed a plate. Of course she was still practically in Alistair's ear when she said it. Still she let it go. Just a little while longer and he'd be gone. Hopefully they could survive each other until then.

"So how long have you two been dating?" Aureus asked curiously. The way he looked between Rain and Alistair clearly showed who his question was addressed to.

_Or maybe not,_ Alistair thought with a grimace.

"We're not... we're just... I'm just helping out," Rain growled back at him.

"Oh well its nice to see friends willing to help each other out in times of need like this. I look forward to working with both of you," Aureus said with another smile.

"I think Alistair has all the help she needs here right now with me," Rain shot back and this time Aureus hesitated.

"I'm sorry I hope I haven't offended you," he apologized honestly.

Alistair sucked in a breath and put down the plate she had just grabbed. Now Rain's attitude was crossing the line from jealous to possessive. It was time to put a stop to this.

Turning around Alistair grabbed the plate from her friend and put it back down on the counter behind her.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Alistair asked. "Privately?" she added in a low but firm voice. Rain pursed her lips again but didn't object as Alistair pointed her to the short hallway leading out to the back patio and the lake. Once they were outside and the wooden door was shut behind them Alistair stopped and crossed her arms. Rather then say something right away she let her friend stand there. It didn't take very long for a guilty look to start creeping across Rain's features.

"When Amai first told me you were jealous I brushed it off. It didn't seem like you so I thought for sure that she must be mistaken. But after what I just saw inside over the past hour I'm going to have to agree with her. The only question is why?" Alistair said as her best friend fidgeted with an increasingly guilty expression. When Rain remained silent she took a step closer to her. Instead of looking frustrated she looked like she was one harsh word away from getting really, really emotional.

"Okay something is definitely wrong. What is it?" Alistair asked in a gentler tone as Rain stared down at her sandals and heaved a sigh.

"I was just..." Rain stopped and scuffed the ground with her foot. When she looked up she still didn't meet Alistair's probing gaze. "I mean..." she stopped again and rubbed her arm. "Its been two or three years or so you left for Loc Lac. We've written back and forth but you haven't been back to visit since that time and I can't blame you for that. You needed time to figure things out, but you're here now and I just..." Rain stopped and wrapped her arms around herself. "I was really looking forward to spending the day with you. Just you," she admitted as she stared out across the lake.

"It's just nice having you back here again you know? I love Storm and all but he's never... he's never around. He's so immersed in his work and even when he does take a day off to stay at home I never see him. He's reading a book or off doing who knows what. We may be family but we're not nearly as close as I'd like us to be. We never talk about anything. Not seriously. I can't share my problems with him or open up to him when something's bothering me," Rain said uncomfortably.

"I've missed you. I don't really have any other friends anymore. The few I did have stopped talking to Storm and I after the new Guild and fishing regulations were drafted and all the rumors started flying. The few that didn't start actively avoiding me just drifted away," Rain said as she chewed on her bottom lip. "And I've been so worried about you and how you're doing emotionally with your PTSD. Then Naran showed up to bully me yesterday. Today was going to be a special day where I finally had you here and and I could just forget about all of that," she said shifting her gaze back down to the floor.

"You were looking forward to spending the day with me and then Aureus came by and ruined that for you," Alistair said and Rain nodded silently. Stepping forward she put her hands on her arms and Rain finally looked up at her, but quickly looked away again.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for staying away for so long and I'm sorry for not visiting you more often. I should have spoken to you in detail more instead of just saying I was coming to visit. I should have spoken to you about coming here but I didn't because I knew you'd let me stay here as long as I wanted without questioning it and... I really needed that. But I still took advantage your hospitality and it isn't right. It's not right," she said and Rain looked up at that.

"You're not leaving are you?" Rain asked softly and the look on her face was so desperately lonely that Alistair's heart ached for her best friend.

"Leaving? No of course not. But I should have asked first instead of just dropping by to stay here for who knows how long," Alistair asked hesitantly now realizing just how badly she planned or rather not planned this whole thing out. Raising Ginouji and Akairo to the point where they could survive on their own was going to take at least five years. It might have been best to bring that up _before_ coming here.

"I don't mind if you stay," Rain said quickly and then blushed and looked away. "I mean it's nice having you and Amai around. I'd... I'd really like it if you both stayed here. I like not being alone again," she added and when she looked back at Alistair the hopeful expression on her face was obvious. Alistair couldn't ignore the flutter in her chest at that. Rain and her had always been close but lately she had been wondering if maybe...

Alistair stopped that train of thought even as her cheeks heated up slightly.

"Thank you, but I'll try to be more clear next time I need your help with something instead of just dropping in and hoping you'll let me and my latest tagalong stay with you for the next couple of years," Alistair said and Rain rubbed her neck with embarrassment.

"I'm not gonna lie I was really excited when I got your letter. We always talked about going on the road and traveling together right?" Rain added and Alistair considered that.

"I _would_ like to visit the far east one day. As a tourist for once and not a hunter," she said in agreement.

"Then we'll have to make plans to do that one day," Rain said hopefully and Alistair nodded.

"Definitely. Now I hate to change the subject but I do want to talk about Aureus. I've had some bad experiences with my sister as a researcher so I am a little biased. However, I also realize that I could have ended up with someone far, far worse than him. Aureus may be young but he definitely knows what he's doing. You can see that from the way he interacted with the hatchlings and with Raiden. All you have to do is spend five minutes around him to see how much he loves his job and that's part of what makes him so good at it," Alistair commented. "I am _not_ thrilled about the idea of him being my new best friend or anything even approaching that, but I do think having him around will really help me and Amai out when it come to raising these guys. You don't have to like him, but I would appreciate it if you could support me and give him a chance," she asked gently. Rain sighed and nodded.

"Fine, fine. I promise I'll be civil," she said with a reluctant sniff. Alistair was ready to just leave it at that but then she thought of something.

"Was Aureus just being nice with all those offers to help me or should I be reading more into this? My skills at knowing whether people are flirting or just being nice have decayed rather badly over the years," Alistair admitted.

"I'm pretty sure he's as gay as I am so no. Definitely just being friendly so don't think so highly of yourself," Rain suggested playfully and Alistair narrowed her eyes at her.

"I'm going to remember that comment when he backs you into a corner and you need me to save you from one of his excited monologues," Alistair warned as she walked back over and opened the door. Both of them headed inside and Storm looked up from the kitchen. He'd already gotten two plates ready.

"Here. I kept the food warm for you," he said handing them each a plate.

Alistair thanked him and took a seat at the table. Amai and Aureus were still eating and talking and it looked like they hadn't taken nearly as much time talking as she originally thought. Soon everyone was gathered around the dining room table eating and talking.

Still something about their conversation was bothering Alistair. Rain had brought up Narane and how the woman had threatened them yesterday. She wanted to dismiss it as an idle threat, but realistically the woman was an experienced high rank hunter and she shouldn't be taken lightly. As much as she tried to push the feeling away the thought that something terrible was coming just refused to go away.

 


	16. Death Comes For Everyone

 

* * *

Currently Amai was sitting on the living room rug teaching Raiden how to sit, stay, and most importantly not go to the bathroom in the house. Thankfully he had already started picking that up from Ginouji and Akairo who both refused to go inside. Each had their own personal "area" outside in the grass where they did their business and so far Raiden had been imitating them with only a few accidents here and there. Meanwhile, Alistair was looking through her research book and making notes on a notepad while the hatchlings ate their breakfast and started play fighting.

Both women were doing their best to pretend like the arguing between Rain and Storm wasn't bothering them.

"You said you wanted to take a few days off!" Rain yelled as she followed her brother back out into the central room.

"I told you I got a request to transport some barrels of brachydios slime down the coast. They're using it to blast open some new tunnels at the mine and they need it right away. Taking it by boat is safer because the ride is a lot smoother. Besides the winds are excellent today so I'll be back in a few hours," Storm replied as he went into the kitchen and opened a cabinet. He grabbed a bag of dried fruit and nuts but Rain snatched it back again.

"Are you forgetting this is a port city? Let someone else do it for once! You said you'd spend some time at home and wouldn't go back to work until tomorrow. We were supposed to go in _together_ and sell some of the stuff we have!" Rain objected as Storm patiently took the bag out of her hands.

"They need it done as soon as possible and transporting slime takes skill and experience whether it's done by land or by sea. There are plenty of other sailors but most of them will cut corners and put themselves and their crew at risk. The rest of our crew is on paid leave. I can take the boat out myself with just Sakala and Seiva and do just fine. I'll be back before dinner if I leave now," Storm said calmly but his easygoing tone did nothing to calm down his angry sister. The lagiacrus couldn't resist following along whenever they went out to sea and they even has special harnesses they could wear. Storm would throw them overboard for the monster to grab onto and they would pull the large boat through the water helping it to go a lot farther then it would go under wind power alone.

"I don't care if you get back in three days or three hours! The point is that you shouldn't be going out at all!" Rain yelled the frustration in her voice obvious to everyone in hearing distance.

Storm sighed heavily and turned around to face her before saying, "It's just a job. I don't understand why you're getting so upset over this." He stuffed the small bag of food inside the backpack he was holding and grabbed some Tanzia chips as well to take with him. Now Rain threw her hands up in frustration.

"I thought you were actually going to stay home and spend some time with me for once. Why can't you ever just take a day off and actually be here with me instead of going off to a corner of the house to read a book or work on something?" Rain's voice was tight with emotion and it clearly made Storm uncomfortable.

"It's not like you need me around here to do anything for you. Alistair is feeling better, Amai is occupied with Raiden, and you're spending time with them. I'm just going to be in the way," Storm replied as he played with the straps on his backpack.

"You are completely missing the point of all of this! I want my big brother to spend time with me for once instead of running away and acting like he can't be bothered. I'm stressed out and upset but you're too busy avoiding me as usual to figure that out! I want to talk with you but you can't even stand to look at me when I bring up anything of any importance!" Rain shouted back at him. "Fine you want to leave then go! Get out of here and have fun on the open water because it's obvious that working is a whole lot more fulfilling then staying at home spending time with your only sibling!" she screamed before turning on her heel and storming off. Moments later the sound of a door slamming echoed through the house.

For a moment there was nothing but silence. Amai and the three babies were all looking back and forth between Storm and the hallway Rain had disappeared down. Alistair had been watching the argument but was now staring back down at the research book in front of her.

"Maybe you forgot but you are the only relative still on good terms with Rain. You need to talk to her. Really talk to her. She's your sister and you haven't been very good to her lately," Alistair said as she flipped a page over in her book. She must have felt his disapproving stare though, because she looked up and glared right back at him. "It is true that Rain wants and needs other women around in her life, but I'm not a replacement for you. You are the only member of your family who is still supporting her and you need to remind Rain of how much you care instead of burying yourself in your work or avoid any serious discussion. Most women, in case you haven't noticed, like to discuss their feelings," Alistair said tersely and Storm flinched at that.

Still Storm stood there fidgeting for a moment before putting his backpack down on the counter and heading down the hallway to talk to Rain. When he got to her bedroom door he hesitated for a moment before opening the door and peeking inside. As expected Rain was sitting there on the bed arms crossed and her back to him. Sighing slightly Storm walked over and sat bed dipped slightly under his weight. He could see Rain's body tense up in response.

"I know I haven't been the best brother to you for quite a while. There's no good reason for that, just a bunch of lame excuses," Storm admitted honestly. "You know I'm not good at sharing my feelings and I'm afraid I've used that as a reason to avoid talking to you for quite a while... and I'm sorry for that. It's not fair especially when you already have so much to deal with," he added as he ran his fingers up and down the bed sheet. "While I wish I had a better explanation for you the truth is that it's just..." he stopped and scratched his neck as he searched for the right words, "...it's just so frustrating watching you have to deal with all this hatred and prejudice from others and feeling like I can't do anything. As much as I try I just... I don't understand what you're going through. I don't understand how it must feel having people like Narane constantly berating you at every opportunity and knowing that countless others around here feel the same way. I don't know what it's like for you to not even be able to walk out of the house without having some level of fear and anxiety about what might happen," Storm continued and he felt Rain's body shift as she turned towards him slightly.

"I can't imagine how you must feel knowing that if you get hurt or attacked then no one is going to help you and few would even feel sorry for you. I can't begin to understand how angry you must be knowing you may never have the same level of respect as other people. The worst part is knowing that no matter what I do I can't change any of that for you," Storm took a deep breath and let it out heavily. "I can't keep you safe. I can't protect you from the words others throw at you. I can't stop the way they look at you when you walk down the street or the way they look away when they see someone mistreating you. I can't even talk it over and comfort you that way because I don't understand what you're dealing with. I can try my best but I'm never really going to get it completely," he stopped and laced his fingers together in his lap as he thought.

"You're my little sister. I'm supposed to protect you. Keep you safe. No matter what happens I'm supposed to be there for you... and I can't. No matter what I do or how hard I try I keep falling short. I keep failing you. I keep letting you down. You were assaulted in broad daylight and there's nothing I can do to make it better for you," Storm clenched his jaw in frustration. "I want to fix this. I want to make things better for you. Easier. And I can't. I can't do anything and I know it makes for a pretty crappy excuse but as a man that's not an easy thing to swallow. So I run away from it and bury myself in my work so I can try and feel useful somehow. Maybe I can't do anything else right but I can at least to my best to help provide a good home for you. Even then you have just as much money as I do and you're better when it comes to handiwork so it's not like you need me around to pay the bills or fix a broken cabinet or anything either," he said bitterly.

Now the bed squeaked as Rain turned around and moved closer to him.

"I don't need you to be the hero, Storm. I don't need you to come rushing in as my knight in shining armor. I just need you to _be her_ e. I need you to spend time with me and when I'm frustrated or upset I just need you to listen and tell me that things are going to be okay," Rain explained before reaching over and putting her hand over his. When he looked at her doubtfully she gave him a small smile. "Just go with me on this one. It's a woman thing," she added and Storm grunted in response.

"I'm sorry for leaving you alone so much and for always running of to work instead of staying to talk with you. I do have to go to work today, but tomorrow why don't we spend the day at the shop. You and me. It isn't much but it is a place to start at least," Storm compromised and Rain considered that for a moment.

"Good enough for now," Rain said standing up. Storm followed her and opened his arms for a hug. Rain wrapped her arms around him and leaned against her brother. "Please be careful, Storm. Narane is still out there and I can't stop thinking about the way she threatened me the other day. She's so full of hate and if she could hurt me by going after you then I don't doubt that she would do it. Just come back safely okay?" she whispered to him and she hugged him more tightly. Storm nodded and pulled back.

"I'll be careful," Storm promised and he hesitated a moment before leaning forward and kissing the top of her head. "Don't worry little sis. I'll be back before you know it," he vowed and ruffled her hair before taking a step back and heading out of the room leaving Rain to stand there chewing worriedly on her fingernails.

* * *

"You sent someone out _two hours_ ago? And they _still_ aren't back?" Rain practically screamed at the man in front of her. Leaning away slightly the Guild Knight nodded as Alistair gently tugged on Rain's shoulder until the woman backed off.

It was now late in the afternoon and Storm wasn't back yet. Even in the worst case scenario he still should have been back at least an hour ago or more ago. Instead they were still standing around with no sign of him. Rain was still concerned about Narane's threat so they had all come down to speak with the Guild Knights in charge of the assault case. Upon arrival one of the Knights informed them that they had already sent someone out to confirm Storm's safely, but that was two hours ago and there was still no word from anyone. The supply road leading to the mine Storm was supposed to be taking his shipment to wasn't that far. It should only have taken him about two hours round trip to get there. He had left early this morning and should have been back well before now.

The fact that Storm wasn't back and there was still no word on him was only making Rain more upset with each passing minute.

"Narane's younger sister came by a few hours ago and informed us that her older sister and brother were planning to do something to Storm, but she couldn't give specific details. All she knew was that Narane had purchased several large barrels of brachydios slime yesterday and had been up throughout the night altering them somehow. Today when Narane and Caster left the residence she searched around and found a fake shipment request that was made to look like it came from the mine nearby. While she can't say exactly what they are up to she thinks they rigged the slime barrels to explode after a certain amount of time so that Storm is..." he hesitated for a moment before saying, "...so that it would look like an unfortunate accident instead of a deliberate attempt on his life," he concluded but that did nothing to soothe Rain's frayed emotions.

"Oh God..." Rain moaned covering her face.

"I know this must be upsetting to you ma'am but we're doing everything we can right now to find him. We've already arrested their younger sister, but she says Narane and Caster took a boat out to follow Storm at a distance. My guess is that they want to make sure things go as planned and then make their escape leaving their younger sister behind to take the fall for them. They already know that they will be discharged from the Guild and disqualified as hunters so it wouldn't surprise me if they tried to run away. My partner is on it and the best thing you can do is stay here and wait for..." the man tried to assure her only to have Rain explode in his face.

"Stay here? _Stay here_? Are you serious? I'm not going to stay here! My brother could be out there dying somewhere because of that self righteous bi..." Rain stopped when Alistair once again was forced to pull her back from the man and away from the wooden counter.

"Like it or not he's just doing his job. I don't blame you for wanting to go out and do something, anything, to find Storm but the truth is that we are better off staying in one spot until someone come's back with more information. We don't know where Storm is exactly and if we go out to find him ourselves then we could end up missing something very important," Alistair said as Rain clenched her fist and then sighed and stared back at the door helplessly.

"I just... I can't just sit there and do nothing. Storm is out there somewhere and he could be... he could be..." her voice cracked and she swallowed hard before turning away. Alistairlooked over at Amai who shook her head. What else could they do? Narane hadn't been making empty threats after all and now Storm might be the one paying the price for it.

Rain had walked over and was now sitting down in a chair in the corner with her head in her hands.

"Stay here with the babies," Alistair told Amai and the girl nodded and ushered Raiden, Akairo, and a very reluctant Ginouji over to the other side of the room. Walking over, Alistair crouched down in front of Rain and gently peeled her friend's hands away from her face and spoke to her softly. "Before you say a word I want you to know that this is _not_ your fault. It could just as easily been you out there on that boat and Storm and me in here worrying ourselves to death about your safety. This is Narane and Caster's fault and they are the one's who should get all the blame for this. Not you. Not Storm. Not anyone else... okay?" she said and Rain looked down at the floor and nodded slowly.

"Believe me I know what it's like to have to sit around and wait. I know what it's like to have that feeling that something is wrong and be forced to just pace back and forth and see what happens next. I know what that's like and I know how much it hurts to have your worst fears confirmed," Alistair squeezed her hands and Rain glanced up at her.

"Alistair... do you think Storm is okay?" Rain asked desperately and when Alistair pursed her lips she pressed her best friend harder. "Tell me the _truth_. Do you think Storm is still alive? Do you think he's going to survive?" she urged more desperately. Alistair winced but resisted the urge to look away and instead looked up and met Rain's gaze.

"Please... please Alistair as my best friend just tell me..." her voice cracked as tears started slipping down her cheeks. "Please... just tell me... are we already too late?" Rain whispered as Alistair shifted her gaze down to their joined hands.

"I'd like to give you hope but the fact is that not only is there evidence that Narane forged that shipment request but we also have first hand account from her sister saying that Narane and her brother Caster were plotting to kill Storm or at least cause him serious injury. There's also that fact that he's been missing for several hours," Alistair reluctantly admitted as she squeezed her friend's hands once again. "So if I'm being honest..." she stopped and closed her eyes. She would have given anything not to have to say this right now. "If I'm being honest... then I'd say we're already too late... and I think... I think you need to prepare yourself for the worst," Alistair barely managed to choke out the words and she couldn't bear to face Rain as she said it.

A sob burst from Rain's throat and she buried her head back in her hands as she started sobbing. Standing up, Alistair sat down in the chair next to her and wrapped her arms around the woman as she cried.

It was two hours later when they finally got the news they had been dreading.

* * *

The beach was in chaos. People were running back and forth handing air weed and fire douse berries by the basket to a few others who were huddled around crushing the berries into a paste or stripping the air weed down to its most vital parts.

"Over here! We need more air weed over here!" a man shouted as he ran over and reached for a basket of air weed that someone hurriedly handed off to him. Second later he was running back over to a large black lagiacrus that was on its belly. Her sides were heaving in and out and she had a horrible rasping cough.

"Shurika!" Rain cried as she spotted her Abyssal Lagiacrus laying prone in the sand. Seiva was a dozen yards away from her being tended to as well. The paste made from the fire douse berries was being smeared all over his white hide and then being covered with large tropical leaves. His hide was covered in large black streaks and huge burn marks. The smell of smoke and burning flesh hung heavily in the air as well. Seiva too was wheezing and coughing heavily and he whimpered pitifully as people worked to cover his burns. Shurika must have suffered burns as well because they had just started working on her as well, but her black hide made it impossible to see anything from this distance.

A few people were taking the sticky air weed and piling it up in front of both lagiacrus. When there was a large enough pile one woman carefully set a burning torch inside the pile and a thin curl of white smoke soon began to rise up from the pile in front of Shurika. Upon smelling the smoke the black lagiacrus moaned and tried to turn her head away, but was stopped when several people ran over to stop her.

"It's okay big girl this is going to help you. Just breathe it in and out slowly. It will make you breathe easier," one man assured her and Shurika was forced to inhale some of the smoke due to her being too weak to push the humans out of her way. After a couple of breaths she stopped fighting them and moved closer to the pile. The air weed smoke was actually helping to clear out her lungs and stimulate her red blood cells to carry more oxygen but she would have to stay there breathing it in for a while. Another group had managed to get Seiva to start breathing in the air weed fumes as well and they also packed some of the sticky plant around his nostrils.

Alistair had been expecting something bad, but this was far worse than what she had imagined. She looked over to her right just in time to see Aureus running over to them. The young researcher was covered up to his elbows in blood and firedouse paste and it smeared over his forehead when he went to wipe some sweat away. The young researcher didn't bother with pleasantries and instead launched straight into an explanation.

"One of the Guild Knights had commissioned a boat to take him out to sea to look for your brother Storm. They were halfway to the mine when they saw a pillar of smoke rising up in the distance. When they got there they saw a boat engulfed in flames and three lagiacrus floundering in the water. One was thrashing its head and neck around the others were clearly suffering major burns and severe smoke inhalation. What was left of the boat was deeply gouged and had planks ripped away from the sides. The Guild Knight believes the lagiacrus'... they are yours aren't they?" Aureus paused long enough for Rain to nod before going on rapidly, "...he believes they were trying desperately to get Storm out of the boat and were horribly burned in the process. The Ivory one is temporarily blind due to the amount of smoke that got in his eyes. The Abyssal Lagiacrus is blinded somewhat but not as bad as him. Both of them will recover their sight just fine but it will take several hours," Aureus said breathlessly but he was talking again before anyone could get a word in edgewise.

"Their burns are severe, but we pulled all the resources we could and called people off the street to help. They'll need regular applications and wound cleanings on into the night and for the next few days, but they'll recover as long as we can keep doing it without them fighting us off," Aureus said and finally stopped and looked over his shoulder. Sakala was a few hundred yards down the beach but aside from a few weak movements of his head he wasn't moving very much.

"What about my brother? What about Storm? You said they were trying to save him...?" Rain demanded and Aureus looked back at her and then lowered his gaze sadly.

"I'm sorry. They... it was.." he stopped and for the first time seemed to be at a loss for words before finally pointing, "Over there. It was... it was already too late. He must have been pretty close to the slime barrels when they exploded but one of your lagiacrus dragged his... dragged him out anyway," Aureus gestured down the beach to where one of the two Guild Knights was kneeling in the sand. In front of him was a prone figure being covered over with a black sheet.

"No... no! He said he'd be back! He said he was going to be safe! They were supposed to bring him back! He was supposed to be okay!" Rain screamed and grabbed the man's shirt. Aureus grimaced but didn't pull away. Alistair grabbed her friend and pulled her back as Rain burst into tears. "Let me see him! I have to... I have to..." she couldn't get the words out. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Alistair tried her best to comfort her.

Aureus rubbed his neck and apologized to them, "I'm sorry to rush off but I really want to get back to Sakala and check up on him..." he hesitated but Alistair nodded for him to go. Flashing her a grim smile of appreciation he hurried back off down the beach. Taking a deep breath Alistair steeled her emotions before turning back to Rain.

"Let's go to him. There are plenty of people looking after your lagaicrus," Alistair stated softly and gently tugged her over towards Storm's body, but Rain pulled back and shook her head.

"I can't... I can't Alistair. Storm can't be gone... he was just... I was just talking to him..." Rain's body trembled as tears fell from her eyes. Pulling her closer, Alistair wrapped her arms around her best friends as her trembling turned into heaving sobs. "I was just... talking to him..." she choked out through her tears. There was nothing Alistair could do but hold her friend tightly as she cried into her shoulder. Looking up she stared helplessly at Amai who was also standing there in shock.

"Storm was joking and telling me how mad Rain would be that he was going back to work instead of staying home. He was just there this morning... he was _just_ _fine_ this morning," Amai whispered out as her eyes wandered over the chaotic scene in front of them. "It doesn't... it doesn't seem real." Amai swallowed hard and looked away.

At her feet were Raiden and Ginouji who both looked confused, but Akairo was huddled down by Amai's feet cooing and trembling as he stared at the injured lagiacrus. They were too young to understand what was going on, but Akairo at least seemed to grasp that something terrible was going on.

"Rain... I know this is hard... but you need to go see him," Alistair pressed and after a moment she could feel Rain nodded slowly before pulling back. "Come on. Amai and I will both go with you," she added and Rain looked up and took a shaky breath before nodding once again. Alistair kept her arm around Rain's shoulders as she led her over towards where the Guild Knight was standing. He was wearing Stygian Zinogre armor and when they got there closer the man bowed slightly to them.

"I know that words are not nearly enough, but I still can't apologize enough. I truly wish we could have arrived sooner," he apologized as he took his helmet off. Rain nodded but was busy staring at the black clad body laying on the ground behind him.

"Where are they? What happened to Caster and Narane?" she demanded angrily brushing more tears away from her eyes.

"Both were following Storm's boat at a distance. They had started to turn around after his boat exploded, caught fire, and began to sink, but the Abyssal Lagiacrus turned to go after them. She got a hold of Caster and..." the Guild Knight stopped as his eyes shifted over to where Shurika was laying, "...well let's just say there wasn't enough left of him to bring back," he said tactfully. Turning his attention back to the three women he said, "Normally a lagiacrus that is known to have killed a human would be captured or killed, but all of them were obviously trying to protect your brother here from harm or were acting in self-defense. They also aren't harming anyone here currently which is also a few points in their defense. So they are free to go whenever their injuries are healed enough," he assured them and Alistair could feel Rain's body relax slightly at those words. This wasn't the first time Shurika had killed a human, but that too had been dismissed as an act of protection or self-defense. Still if he didn't know then Alistair wasn't going to bring it up and she knew that Rain wouldn't either.

"What about Narane?" Amai asked and the Guild Knight shook his head at that.

"She fell overboard and we lost sight of her. It's assumed she was killed by the Abyssal Lagiacrus as well, but we can't confirm her death," he said with a frown and he looked over at where Sakala was laying and lowered his eyes. "She had her bowgun with her and took a shot at your blue lagiacrus and injured him before the boat she was on was tipped over on its side," he added and when he fidgeted uncomfortably Alistair knew that Sakala had suffered far more than just a grazing shot. But she didn't want to alarm Rain so she stayed quiet on it for the moment.

"And Storm? How did he? Did he... suffer... before he... before he..." Rain stopped again, unable to bring herself to say the words. The Guild Knight pursed his lips and stepped aside allowing her a better view. Crouching down beside the covered body, Rain looked back up waiting for an answer.

"A doctor has already looked over his injuries. Theory so far is that he noticed something was wrong and went closer to check on the barrels of slime. Judging from his wounds he was standing very close to them when they finally exploded. He put his arms up to protect himself instinctively, but the explosion was far too powerful. The concussive blast alone was enough to kill him almost instantly. At the most he only would have suffered a few seconds, barely long enough to register what happened," he explained as Rain hesitantly reached out towards his body, but she stopped when the man put his hand on her shoulder.

"I don't know anything about your brother ma'am, but I've never seen any monster fight to save someone the way those lagiacrus fought to save him," he stated honestly. "If you want to see his face that's fine, but I wouldn't recommend trying to view the rest of his body. Your last memories of him shouldn't be of him looking like that," he offered as a suggestion before removing his hand.

Rain stared down at the black sheet for a moment before carefully pulling it back just enough to reveal Storm's head. Both Ginouji and Akairo were standing just behind Alistair and both of them squeaked and flinched backwards clearly recognizing Storm. The left side of his face was covered in horrible burns. Far beyond the third degree burns Alistair had been expecting. If this was the least amount of damage he had suffered then Alistair could understand why the Guild Knight had warned them not to look any lower. Reaching out Rain put a hand on his ruined cheek as tears once again streamed down her face.

"They killed him... they hated me so much that they killed him just to see me suffer," Rain whispered as she stared down at her older brother's body. "How could anyone have that much hatred for another person?" she asked but Alistair could tell she was speaking mostly to herself. "He was going to start doing better you know? He said he was going to do better and be around more often. We were supposed to spend the day together tomorrow. How could they do this to me? How could they take him from me like this?" she closed her eyes and leaned down to kiss Storm's forehead before pulling the black sheet back over his face. For a moment she remained there just staring down at him. Then she took a deep breath and stood up.

"Make sure he's taken to the hospital. He... he always said that if something happened then he wanted to be buried at sea. He always loved the ocean you know?" Rain's voice halted several times but the Guild Knight nodded and waved to a few people who were standing higher up the beach line watching everything.

"We'll take care of that right now for you ma'am. For now I recommend that you go check on the blue lagiacrus. He's... he's not doing very well," he said evasively and hurried to turn his attention away when Rain frowned at those words.

Alistair's gaze shifted down the sand to where Sakala was and she frowned as she saw Aureus running back over to them. The young researcher stopped and shook his head sadly as they looked to him for information.

"How is he? Is Sakala all right?" Rain asked rubbing her arms to comfort herself. Aureus blanched and looked over at Alistair before staring down at his bare feet.

"He received an illegal bowgun shot to the base of his neck. Right between his neck and thoracic vertebrae... umm that's the spine at the shoulder level," Aureus stated and he watched Alistair's reaction carefully to see if she understood.

Unfortunately, Alistair knew exactly what that meant and she immediately wanted to go throw up. If not for that fact that she was trying to stay focused and avoid a panic attack she might have. Instead she took a deep breath and let it out once again to try and keep her emotions centered. Sensing the tension, Rain pulled back and wiped her eyes her breath still coming out in short emotional gasps.

"What does that mean? What happened?" Rain sniffed and when no one answered she turned to Alistair with growing fear. "What _happened_? What did Narane do to him?" her voice rose dramatically in pitch as her hands started trembling. Alistair fought down the wave of nausea that threatened to send her lunch back up her throat.

"It would be best to show you. I'm sure Sakala is scared and needs you to calm him down," Alistair supplied instead and Rain swallowed and brushed more tears away. For a moment she looked over at Storm's covered body, but after a second she turned back and grabbed Alistair's arm as if she was the last thing anchoring her to the earth.

When they started walking Alistair glanced down to see that Ginouji was following her, but Akairo was still standing there staring down at Storm's covered body. Thankfully Amai was there and she crouched down next to the rathalos and whispered something to him. Akairo looked up at her and whistled softly before stepping back and slowly following along after his mother, sticking close to Raiden who was walking through the sand at Amai's heels.

"What's an illegal hit?" Rain demanded as they walked across the sand towards Sakala who had his own group of people tending him. Alistair pulled her attention back to her best friend and considered that question.

"There are some attacks that are considered illegal for hunters to use. They are off-limits unless the Guild has given special permission to use them and even then that permission only applies for the current hunt. The ban goes back into effect as soon as the quest is over and the monster is dead," Alistair explained tentatively. She knew what was wrong with Sakala already and why his body looked so... so _wrong_ the way it was splayed across the beach like that. "Such attacks are illegal because they target specific areas on different monster species. For some of these moves they can kill it instantly if they land correctly, but they may be considered too dangerous to the hunter to perform and are outlawed for that reason. Others are illegal not because they'll kill the monster, but because they can cause permanent injuries that are deemed to traumatic for the monster to have to suffer. This can happen if the hunter tries to attack a certain body part and fails or it may happen as a deliberate attempt to disable the monster. Either way any hunter caught using one of these techniques is almost always dismissed from the Guild immediately," she added as they came close enough to see Sakala.

The blue lagiacrus was moaning horribly and sliding his head back and forth through the sand pitifully. Alistair had never heard such a terrible sound. Rain was starting to catch on and she stared at her fallen monster for a second before tearing her eyes away and looking back at Alistair and Aureus.

"Narane hurt him _deliberately_?" Rain asked and Aureus nodded as he shuffled his feet through the sand.

"She fired her bowgun at him when he rose up out of the water to try and get onto the deck of the boat. He was attempting to reach your brother, but got shot before he could get through the flames," Aureus responded but for Rain that wasn't good enough.

"What did she _do_? _How_ did she hurt him? He's not laying there crying the sand because he got grazed by a bullet!" Rain's voice was rising to a scream once again and Alistair answered her before she could start yelling again.

"Years ago they made the act of buying or selling various lagiacrus parts illegal all along this coast line. Do you remember why?" Alistair asked her and Rain nodded hesitantly and then closed her eyes as if she'd been punched in the gut. That's when Alistair know that Rain had put all the pieces together.

"Sailors were capturing lagiacrus and cutting off their tails, horns, stripping off their scales and carving off their plates before tossing the monster back into the water still alive to drown. They did this by shooting them in the spine with special ballista ammo or with regular bowgun shells that were carefully aimed. If it hit the lagiacrus in the right spot then it would paralyze their lower bodies instantly. They'd tie down their necks with rope so they couldn't thrash around and bite anyone and they'd take whatever pieces they wanted. With the rest of their bodies paralyzed the monsters were tossed overboard and sank to the sandy bottom where they would just lay there helplessly until they ran out of air and drowned. A process that could take hours," Rain shook her head and wrapped her arms around her stomach in pain.

"Narane shot Sakala right in the spine..." Rain said her eyes still closed as she processed the awful truth. Alistair looked over at Amai and saw that she too had figured it out and was clenching her fists tightly. Farther down the beach Sakala had started wailing so horribly that it made Alistair want to cover her ears. All three babies were cowering down in the sand at the terrible sound. Rain had let go of Alistair's arm and now sank down to her knees in the sand.

"Narane paralyzed him..." Rain whispered through gritted teeth, "... she paralyzed him from the neck down..." she rocked back and forth as another sob burst forth from her lips. "Narane knew how much it would hurt me... so she shot him... and she paralyzed him on _purpose_..." she stopped and doubled over as sobs shook her body.

Alistair could only watch as Sakala tossed his head around and dug his jaw into the sand in frustration. He _knew_. He _knew_ what had been done to him. Anyone who looked into his eyes right now could see that he understood perfectly what had happened. Lifting his head the lagiacrus screamed so loudly that those around him covered their ears and hunkered down.

Alistair for one thought that she had never in her life heard a cry as gut wrenching as that sound.


	17. You Killed Me

 

* * *

Narane.

How could he forget that name? How could he forget that smug look on her face after she shot him? The proud hunter taking a cheap shot. Not to defend herself. Not to protect herself. Simply so she could hurt someone. Simply so that she could hurt Rain.

Sakala opened his eyes and looked around the beach. The sun had set and the moon was now rising in the sky. Big flame sticks had been stuck in the sand all around them so there would be more light to see by. Most of the humans had left, but there were still enough around taking care of his brother and sister. Aside from a few grumbles when someone got too close, Seiva was tolerating the attention better than Sakala thought he would. Then again his brother was half blind from the smoke he inhaled after Storm's ship caught fire and he had breathed in a lot of the bad smoke air as well. Seiva had little choice but to allow them to help him out. Still his pale hide was badly burned and it would be quite a while before he healed completely.

His sister, Shurika, was calm for now but that was because she had total confidence in her own abilities. Even disabled and injured she knew that she was many times stronger than the humans around her. A simple tail swipe would kill several of them. What had she to fear from anyone?

Curling his head back, Sakala looked at his own body which was now prone and twisted in the sand. Shaking his neck he snorted and looked away. It was bad enough when he felt that piercing shot followed by his lower body going numb. He knew what had happened. He knew what that pathetic excuse for a hunter had done to him and why. Plenty of times before Sakala had been out hunting and had seen other lagiacrus laying in the sand at the water's bottom with parts of their bodies carved off or gone. If they had the misfortune of still being alive after such an indignity then Sakala had done them the favor of killing them with a quick bite and twist of the neck. Leaving a fellow lagiacrus to die slowly or from being preyed on by others was undignified. However, it wasn't until he was out helping Rain and Storm find human treasures that he finally realized what exactly had happened to them.

Sakala had seen humans shoot a long metal thing at a lagiacrus neck and she had immediately lost control of her lower body and begun to sink. Her hide was the same color as Seiva's and if not for the fact that his brother was right next to him Sakala would have thought it was him. The humans threw their big nets around her and started pulling her on the boat. He watched them start carving her body up. Before Rain and Storm could stop them, both Sakala and Seiva had launched themselves under the water and were swimming towards the offending humans as fast as they could go. The humans were too busy trying to subdue the female on their deck and did not notice them coming in from the side. A simple body slam was all it took to capsize the boat and leave them all floundering in the water.

Seiva was the one who delivered a quick bite and twist to the female's neck thereby killing her quickly and mercifully. However, Storm insisted that the humans be left alive and taken to shore. It was a lot more than they deserved in his opinion. Humans and their strange ways.

For many cycles of days after that Rain had been very upset and would often come out long after the moon rise to sleep next to him and Seiva. No matter how big they got she would always remember them as the hatchlings that been born in front of her. She would always remember those months and years spent raising them. They would always and forever be her babies and she would always be their mother. Seeing what happened that day was a reminder that they might get hurt or killed one day. It was a reminder that she could not protect them from everything.

Relationships meant a lot to humans and Rain had very few of those left. Sakala did not understand how a male and female could turn on their own offspring in such a manner and for reasons he could not comprehend. Even the most deranged lagiacrus would not do such a thing to their own hatchlings. To another's maybe, but not their own. It made no sense, but all the same they had protected their mother from further harm.

And now they were gone. Rain's own sire was gone and her mother had abandoned her. The few times she did come around made mother so upset that Sakala and Seiva both chased the woman off whenever they saw her. All of Rain's other companions had left as well, Storm was gone, and now this. Sakala looked down at his left front leg so he could see Rain who was sitting there leaning against him. She had her legs pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. Rain was sitting on the side farthest away from everybody else and she hadn't said a word since she came up to him. Even now he could hear her crying. Sakala hated it when mother cried and it was even worse knowing that she was doing it because of him.

Sakala lowered his head and hummed softly to get her attention. Rain reached up and wrapped her arms around his snout, burying her face in his tough scales. Rumbling softly he lowered his head all the way down to the sand and let her cry. There was really only one way for this to end. No doubt Shurika and Seiva had already settled the matter within themselves as well.

This was no way for a lagiacrus to live.

A scuffling attracted his attention and Sakala reluctantly pulled his head away to see the human others called Aureus. Sakala had seen the little human male out in the swamp and on the open ocean before. He was always helping other monsters. Why a human would go through so much trouble to help a monster that probably only wanted to eat or kill him seemed very strange, but no one ever said humans were supposed to make sense.

After Shurika and the other humans pulled him up on the sand, Aureus had been the one in charge of telling everyone what to do and how best to help out. Shurika and Seiva were both more comfortable and relaxed now thanks to him. While Sakala couldn't feel a large portion of his body he could feel his neck and after the little human rubbed something all over it his scales had stopped itching and burning.

Aureus stopped and looked over at Rain who kept her head down. She knew he was there, but didn't feel like talking. Sakala would let him stay for now, but if he made mother more upset then he'd have to go. Lowering his head back down again he gave the male a sharp look and kept his eyes on Aureus as he walked over and sat down in the sand next to her. Curving his head around, Sakala rested his head on the sand and watched them closely.

"Months ago we brought in an Abiorugu that had escaped some illegal hunters. They usually work as a team but this one was alone and was missing its tail, several back plates, her arm was broken and had healed badly and she had a pretty big limp as well. She was pretty easy to deal with as long as she was left alone, but then she suddenly started going downhill. No matter what we did it didn't help," Aureus said as he looked up at the night sky. Sakala didn't have the slightest idea of what he was talking about and didn't really care, but it wasn't like he could just get up and leave.

"She'd take a bite or two at first but then walk away. After a few days she started ignoring the food we gave her completely. No matter what we tried she wouldn't eat anything. No meat, no fish, no fruit, no birds, nothing we brought in. After two weeks she was really thin and started getting violent. She'd attack anyone who tried to feed her and tore up her enclosure. We had changed her pen around with ramps, hills, and trees so that she could move around more easily, but one day we came in to find it all torn up. The dirt was flung everywhere, the ramps were ripped apart and all the trees were knocked over or snapped in half," Aureus said and Sakala saw Rain lift her head slightly as she listened to him.

Sakala was only listening partially, but now he focused more. He may not know what kind of monster they were talking about, but he did know why it would start acting like that.

"We tried sedating her and moving her someplace else, but she did the same thing. It was hard for her to stand on her leg and to get up and down so we had tried to make her more comfortable, but once again when we moved her the same thing happened. Anything and everything that would have made it easier for her to get around was destroyed. I just didn't understand it. Not until I sat and watched her one day. She was watching a small animal that was walking around in front of her. After a few minutes it wandered over and ate a toadstool, which is poisonous. It was a small creature so within a few minutes it had dropped dead. That caught her attention right away," Aureus stated and Rain finally looked up from her legs and frowned at him.

"Does this whole story actually have a point? Because I'm not in a talkative mood right now," Rain demanded and Sakala wondered the same thing. Sure he could figure out the ending already but what was the little human trying to get mother to understand?

"I'm getting there," Aureus stated as he shifted and got more comfortable in the sand. "As soon as she saw that she struggled to get up. It took a while because of her injured arm and leg but when she did manage it she grabbed the rest of the toadstool and swallowed it whole. Then she went around the enclosure and started eating every toadstool that she could find. At first I wondered why she was doing it. Even the most stupid monsters still know what foods are good and which are to be avoided. It must be obvious that it was going to hurt her but she just kept tearing up her enclosure to find any that she could," Aureus explained and Sakala watched as Rain thought about that and then closed her eyes.

"She was trying to kill herself," Rain said opening her eyes again to look at the young male.

"She was. Sure she could have lived. I mean we gave her plenty of food and did everything we could to make it easier for her to get up and move around but she didn't want it. We had proved that we were willing to help her, but she didn't want that. She didn't want our help and she didn't want to live like that. Constantly limping around unable to move around or hunt without someone else. She'd rather die then be forced to exist in that kind of condition," Aureus said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a long sharp metal thing. It reminded Sakala of the sharp pointy things that gobul had on their backs when they got angry. Humans have stuck some of those things in him one time many seasons ago after he hurt his leg and it started to stink and turn colors. It helped with the pain and made his leg better. It was called a shot or something.

"As a researcher I wanted to go in and do something to stop her, but at the same time I realized that by trying to help make her better we were only making her feel worse," Aureus stood up and turned around with the sharp thing still in his hand. "Your lagiacrus... he can't live like this and I suspect that he doesn't want to either. There's nothing we can do to heal the injury to his spine. He's never going to swim again. He'll never be able to hunt for himself again and his body is seriously going to suffer and deteriorate if it just lays around all day. I don't know him personally, but I can guarantee that he doesn't want to be forced to exist like that. I know there's no way you want to let him go, but ultimately..." he stopped and looked straight at him. Sakala stared back as he finally understood where the little human was going with all of this.

"Ultimately this should be _his_ decision and not anyone else's," Aureus turned and looked up and looked him straight in the eyes. "I've heard that lagiacrus are intelligent enough to fully understand human speech and concepts so I'm going to tell you this directly. You know what a tranquilizer is right? Those things that put monsters to sleep?" he asked and Sakala nodded slowly and deliberately the way humans did when they wanted to show that they understood something.

"This is a much stronger version of that. If I give this to you..." he stopped and swallowed hard. "If I give this to you it will put you to sleep and you won't wake up again. It won't hurt and you won't feel anything else from it. You'll just get really, really tired and go to sleep," Aureus explained and Sakala's eyes dropped down to the sharp thing, the tranquilizer, in the human's hand thought about what had happened to him.

He was never going to swim again. He was never going to hunt again. He was never even going to be able to get up and move from this spot here on the sand without help. He would never come back to mother's home at night and sit there floating in the water with her while they looked up at the stars together. He would never be able to show off a new shiny thing he had discovered in the water and watch mother get excited over it. He would never be able to help her. He would never see Storm again.

"Sakala?" Rain's shaky voice brought his attention back. Turning his head he looked at her and then back at Aureus. Reaching up she pulled his head closer to her body. Rested her head against his scales. "I don't want you to go. Not right after losing Storm," she whispered to him and he could feel her tears sliding down his scales. "You're my baby and I don't want to lose you, but I can't watch you like this. I can't watch you suffer like this. I can't... I can't help you. I can't heal this. I can't take care of you and I know you wouldn't want me to even if there was a way," Rain sniffed as leaned against him.

Sakala rumbled and nuzzled mother lovingly in return. He would not be like those lagiacrus that sank to the ocean floor helplessly. He still had his pride left and this was his decision to make. If he had to go then it would be with dignity and with mother at his side. Maybe she couldn't be there for Storm, but she was here with him. Now he had to convey that to her.

Pulling back Sakala gave a few deep sounds similar to chirps. It was a sound baby lagiacrus made only when they were calling their mother. He nudged her gently and chirped again before growling and then purring knowing she would understand.

_Mother. Love mother. Love mother very much._

Lifting his head, Sakala snorted and looked up at the sky before bowing his head.

_Getting late. Must go now._

Once again Sakala leaned over and nuzzled Rain with soft rumbles and purrs. Then again he looked up at the sky and bowed his head again.

_Love mother. Love mother very much. Getting late. Must go now._

Aureus was looking back and forth between them but clearly did not understand what Sakala was communicating.

Rain closed her eyes and nodded slowly.

"Is that really what you want?" she asked softly and Sakala once again looked up and bowed his head. Then he hissed and swung his head back and forth. The gesture was one he and his siblings always did when Rain or Storm asked them to do something they really did not like.

_Getting late. Must go now. I don't want to do this but I will._

Sakala whimpered and chomped his jaws together before chirping. Then he looked up, bowed his head, and sighed heavily before closing his eyes, whimpering again and chomping his jaws.

_Hurts very much mother. Getting late. Must go now. Hurts very much._

Opening his eyes, Sakala looked at her and waited for her to understand. He didn't want to go. He didn't want to do this, but he couldn't live like this. He didn't want to and his pride wouldn't allow it. Neither would her's. Mother would be miserable having to watch him lay there day in and day out for hours on end.

Lifting his head Sakala stared at the sky longer this time and then looked back down and shook his head and neck.

_Not yet. Can stay longer._

Sakala gave a deep chirp then nudged her before tossing his head and then bowing it.

_Stay with mother longer. Leave later._

Rain nodded and rubbed under his chin as she looked over at Aureus.

"Sakala understands what the tranquilizer means and he doesn't want to do it, but he doesn't want to live in this condition either," Rain explained to the human as she rubbed his scales slowly. "He'll take the tranquilizer, but he doesn't want to do it right now," she explained and Aureus nodded and put his hands in his pockets.

"I understand. If you like I can do it after both of you are already asleep. It would be the most peaceful way for him to go," Aureus added and when Rain looked up at him Sakala knew that was the best way. Soon he would be gone away to the great sleep, but mother would be left behind as would his siblings. She would be left alone without him and without Storm. If this small gesture brought her peace then it was the least he could offer.

"I'll leave you two alone for now but I'll be back later. If you need me for anything else then just ask around and I'll be back, okay?" Aureus asked and Rain nodded and but didn't say anything else. There was nothing else to say.

* * *

Something bad had happened. Something very, very bad. Ginouji stood up as tall as he could and looked over mother's legs to the warm sand spot where Rain's brother had been. He didn't understand what happened to him or why he looked like that or why he wouldn't wake up again.

Why did those people carry him off? Wouldn't he want to see Rain again when he woke up?

Settling back down, Ginouji sighed and put his head back down on mother's leg. Right now she was busy talking with the strange man from earlier. He was the same person they had gone with Rain to see after mother and Amai fought the big water monster and got real upset and scared. Ginouji didn't know who he was but what he said had made mother feel better and she had been sleeping better the last few dark days too. Akairo called him the healer man because mother's hurts were better since she and Rain had talked to him.

Mother didn't want to go see him. She had wanted to stay with Rain, but Amai had been very firm. Ginouji didn't understand her words, but he could tell she was trying to help. Amai thought mother was upset and that the healer man would make her feel better. Mother had gotten very angry at first and they had spent a long time shouting at each other before Amai pointed over to where Rain and the big one Sakala was. After that mother got real quiet and agreed to go talk to the healer man.

Ginouji was bored and wanted to do something or at least go see if the big one Seiva was okay. He was nice to them and he wanted to see how he was doing. He didn't know what to think of the black female though. He had never seen a monster like that before and her body was all glowy and stuff. Could she see in the dark like that? His new friend Raiden was fascinated by her and kept pawing at Amai and begging to go over to her. They both could let off the same tingly sparky stuff so maybe that was why.

At first Amai had been ready to go and leave mother alone, but then mother started getting upset and fidgety again so the healer man called her back over. Now mother seemed like she was feeling better and wasn't reaching down and touching him as much as she had been. Ginouji and his brother still stayed close to comfort her though.

Suddenly the healer man stood up and Ginouji perked up and looked up at mother as she stood up as well and grabbed the man's hand. He held it for a moment and told her something. Mother nodded and her voice was a lot less upset then it was earlier.

Circling around Ginouji squeaked and lifted his wings. Were they going to go see Rain and the big ones now? Rain was mother's friend and mother cared about her very much. When she was upset it made mother upset too and he didn't like that. Chirping eagerly, Akairo danced back and forth as Amai stood up and waved hand at the healer man as he left. Mother motioned to them and they headed back out down to the sand towards the water with Amai and Raiden beside them.

Mother hesitated and Amai motioned towards the two big ones and said something. Mother agreed and they went over to Seiva and the big black female who opened her eyes and stared right at them as they approached. Squeaking, Akairo dodged back behind mother and Ginouji shrank back as well.

Even her _eyes_ were glowy.

Normally Raiden was shy, but now he went running straight up to her and put his paws on her snout as he yipped and his tail thumped up and down in the sand. Bright sparky stuff went back and forth between them and the big female rumbled curiously and nudged Raiden in greeting.

Seiva looked like he didn't feel good and kept rubbing his head and eyes against the ground. He didn't seem happy and his body was covered with big bad hurts. Akairo kept his distance since he was still uncomfortable with the big monsters, but Ginouji wasn't afraid. Not of him at least. Running up he cooed softly and tilted his head. Opening his eyes Seiva groaned and sighed with a clap of his jaws and a short grumble that Ginouji recognized.

_Hurts. Tired much little one._

Ginouji touched his nose to the big monster and gave a heavy sigh of his own like he was tired and he whistled very softly.

_Sleep now. I'll be quiet._

Seiva closed his eyes and turned his head away from them. Ginouji looked back and mother who was next to the big female. Amai was hesitantly creeping closer to Raiden and picked him up when she was close enough to do so. She didn't seem very comfortable around the big female either and he thought that was smart. Ginouji could tell she was strong. Much stronger than Seiva and Sakala and way, way stronger than the big water monster that attacked mother and Amai. At least she didn't seem mean, but she probably knew she was stronger than them so why would she have anything to worry about? Ginouji wondered if he and Akairo would be that strong one day. He sure hoped so.

The big female didn't seem mean and she didn't seem to be bothered by having them around either. Finally his curiosity outweighed his suspicions and Ginouji crept closer and pressed up against mother's side as she spoke to the big black one. She was just so _big._ Bigger than anything he had ever seen before.

Mother patted his side and he looked up as she said something to him. After repeating it a few times he squeaked in understanding.

Shurika. That was the big female's name and he wanted to remember it. Rain must be her mother too. Rain must be very strong if a big one like this listened to her. Ginouji's respect for mother's friend went up even more.

With a sudden groan the female, Shurika, got to her feet and nodded to mother. Akairo leaned away from her, but Shurika snorted and ignored him completely as she turned and started walking slowly. She didn't look hurt, but Ginouji could smell something very strange coming from her. The same smell was coming from Seiva's big bad hurts and it made him sneeze. Whatever it was he would be sure to remember that scent and stay away whenever he smelled it himself. It must be something bad, bad if it could hurt the big ones like this.

Ginouji kept looking around mother and taking peeks up at Shurika as they walked. He was completely fascinated by her and so was Raiden who had struggled out of Amai's arms and was happily bouncing along under Shurika's head. The big female didn't seem to mind and even rumbled in her throat like she was amused by them. As they walked her back and mouth glowed on and off and the tingly sparkly stuff flashed out and every time it did Raiden would do the same thing back to her.

Akairo squawked and shook his head, not understanding them at all. Ginouji agreed with him. They walked past Seiva who remained sleeping and when they got close enough Shurika walked ahead of them and curled up next to Sakala. With a heavy sigh she laid down and put her head down across his neck before closing her eyes. They were all tired.

Did they fight somebody? Had that bad mean female from before come back? Was she the one who hurt Storm? Ginouji didn't know what she said, but he could tell that she didn't like Rain and mother didn't like her. She must be the one behind this.

Satisfied with his reasoning, Ginouji followed mother around to the other side of the big ones where Rain was. Whistling in greeting he raised his wings up and Akairo bobbed his head as well. Maybe they were going to stay here until Storm was better. Nudging his brother, Ginouji puffed his chest out in an example of bravery. There was no need to be afraid of the big ones. They were friends. Humming at that Akairo tilted his head to look up at them and shifted closer to his brother, still unconvinced.

* * *

Sakala was as good as dead the moment he'd been struck by those hunters. A lagiacrus could not live with most of its body rendered useless in such a manner. Had Shurika been there alone she would have grabbed him and snapped his neck right then and there. However, Seiva demanded that they bring him back. Rain would be upset and hurt, but she was their mother, she had raised all of them and she deserved to see what had happened. Reluctantly Shurika agreed, but only so that they would quit wasting time. Her own scales had itched and burned with heat and Seiva was barely keeping his head above water. Another human boat with monster hunters on it had come to their aid and fished Storm out of the water, but it was far too late for him.

Taking a deep breath, Shurika pushed those images of Storm's damaged body away from her mind. She did not wish to remember him in such a manner. It was undignified. He was a proud man and a strong ocean warrior and he deserved to be remembered as such. They had all tried their best, but it was too late to save him just as it was too late for Sakala. While she had been too far away to hear the conversation she had watched as Sakala and Rain spoke to the small human male. She had seen the tranquilizer in his hand and knew immediately what he was offering. A chance for Sakala to die peacefully and quietly. Sakala had agreed and said he would go later. No doubt he wanted to spend more time with mother before leaving for the great sleep.

Now Shurika was resting next to her brother with her neck resting over his. She was glad now that Seiva had refused to allow her to make a hasty decision. Although a quick death was the way of lagiacrus they still had mother to consider and she had suffered enough in her life. She may not have been able to say a final goodbye to Storm but at least she would now have the chance to do so with Sakala. Besides she would not have to ride out this stormy ocean alone. Shurika did not recognize the other young female hunter, but she distinctly remembered Alistair and it seemed like she had picked up hatchlings of her own in the past few moon cycles.

Shurika turned her head slightly so she could see the two of them. Their relationship was not one she understood but if Alistair brought mother comfort during this time then that was good enough for her. Within a few more passes of the waves Sakala would be gone to his final resting place to sleep eternally. Both she and Seiva would heal in time and go back to their ocean homes, but Rain would be left behind. She would go back to her home and find it devoid of someone she had once loved.

Just as Shurika had gone back to her lair and found her mate gone with only the smell of distress and signs of a struggle left behind. Her mate must have been captured for he was far too large for any group of hunters to move on their own and their eggs had stolen or crushed. After it happened she did not want anyone else near her or her territory. No one else but mother and Storm even her own siblings were unwelcome although looking back she wished she had sought them out. She should have gone back to mother and embraced the comfort she surely would have offered. Humans needed to know that they were loved and cared for and Shurika felt better knowing that Rain would not have to suffer through this painful period by herself. Shurika did not wish for mother to be alone the way she was now. She deserved better.

Shurika knew that she could no longer remain uninvolved. After her direct involvement in the death of Rain's own father she had left the shores and found her own home deep beneath the waves, but no longer. Now she would return and keep watch over mother as best she could. Shurika wished she had been able to kill the female hunter herself, but the hunter had disappeared before she could do so. From now on she would keep a more careful watch over mother both at home and if she returned to the ocean for her work.

Hissing to herself, Shurika forced herself to focus. The coming days would take care of themselves. For now they should focus on tonight and on what little time they had left with Sakala. She would get Seiva up later on. He was heavily burned as well and needed some rest after helping to carry Sakala the many long water miles back here to shore. There was also the matter of the hatchlings since they clearly did not understand what had happened, but she was not their mother and that was not her business. Let Alistair care for that matter if she so desired.

* * *

When they got closer to the injured Sakala, Amai took Raiden and went over to sit a bit closer to Shurika. The zinogre puppy had come out of his shell and was utterly fascinated by the Abyssal Lagiacrus. Small flashes of electricity kept dancing back and forth between them whenever Raiden scampered up and put his nose or paws on her. Amai didn't seem thrilled by her close proximity to the two monsters, but she wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to bond more with Raiden and get him to come out of his shy, timid shell.

Ginouji was busy giving Akairo moral support since the red rathalos was still uneasy around the big monsters. The silver hatchling almost seemed to be in awe of Shurika if the wide-eyed looks he kept flashing her were any kind of indication. Alistair meanwhile had another matter to attend to.

The second Rain spotted her coming she had jumped to her feet and threw her arms around Alistair's neck in a hug. Alistair wrapped her arms around her waist and spoke over her shoulder.

"Sorry I'm late. I wanted to be back here sooner but...I was starting to go into another panic attack and Amai argued with me until I finally agreed to make an emergency trip to see my therapist. She said I would only make you feel worse if I didn't take care of myself. Amai was the one who ran and got the therapist and he came down here to the beach right away to talk with me and see what was going on. I hate to admit it but it really did help. I just didn't want to make you worry..." Alistair trailed off when she felt Rain's body trembling.

"That's good... I'm so glad you're okay..." Rain said softly as she leaned into Alistair's embrace. Alistair sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. She wasn't normally a touchy feeling person but with Rain it felt good. It felt very good indeed.

"Amai said that she saw Aureus come over here. I'm pretty sure it was about Sakala," Alistair stopped when she felt Rain nod but instead of responding she just gripped Alistair even tighter as a muffled sob came from her. She could take a guess at why that was. "They're going to euthanize him aren't they? Use a tranquilizer to put him down," Alistair stated and she could feel Rain's nod again into her shoulder.

"Tonight... after he... after he falls asleep. So it'll... it'll be more peaceful you know?" Rain choked out her words slightly muffled. "He can't live like this. He doesn't want to live like this. I don't want him to go, but... but I can't take care of him," she added in a shaky voice. "First Storm and now Sakala. I don't... I didn't..." she stopped for a second before adding, "I never thought she'd go this far. I never thought people hated me that much... just for who I am," Rain's voice dropped to a whisper and Alistair rubbed her back to try and comfort her.

What could she say to that? What could she do to make her feel better?

"I want to bury them both at sea tomorrow. That's what Storm always wanted and I know Sakala prefers that as well. The sea is his home," Rain's voice tripped over the words and she swallowed another sob and buried herself in Alistair's shoulder. "Don't go... please don't go... please don't leave me," she begged desperately holding onto her. In fact Rain was holding on so tightly that she was going to start choking her in a second. Alistair hated seeing her best friend in this kind of pain.

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere okay? Not now and not ever. I'm not going to leave you."

Rain pulled back suddenly her eyes filled with tears.

"No! You have to promise me! You have to... you have to promise you're not going to leave," Rain demanded with a such fierce desperation that it made Alistair hurt for her even more. She tried so hard to pretend like everything was fine. She tried to lift her head up and act like things didn't bother her, but it wasn't enough to hide how scared and alone she was. Now this? On top of everything she'd already been through? Hadn't Rain suffered enough already?

Alistair looked her in the eyes and firmly stated, "I promise I am not and will never leave you. You're my best friend and I'm not going to do that to you. I'm not going to hurt you like that. I promise. So please don't be scared okay?"

Rain's fingers nervously played with the front of Alistair's shirt as she thought about that. Rain could keep her feelings bottled up pretty well when she wanted to do so, but when she got really upset over something she needed a lot of emotional reassurance.

"You really mean that?" her voice was barely a squeak when she said it and Alistair hated Narane with an even stronger passion for doing this to Rain. If the woman wasn't dead yet then she had better pray they never met in a dark alley somewhere.

"Look if I can survive your stepmother's attempts to 'cure' you of your 'mental disease' without wanting to throw my hands up in the air and run in the other direction then I can get through this," Alistair assured her and Rain gave a bitter laugh as a smile spread across her lips.

"Just promise you won't leave me alone with her when she comes by again. You know she's going to want to come talk to me and I do have to tell her about Storm's death and funeral arrangements tomorrow," Rain grimaced and Alistair could feel her tense up again.

"I will be right there by your side. I make no promises about being polite, but I won't leave you to suffer her evil ways alone," Alistair stated firmly and Rain nodded and when she reluctantly started to pull away Alistair stopped her. She could see the look on her friend's face and it was one that she knew all too well.

"Oh no you don't. Who is it that's reminding me to talk about my problems? To open up and be willing to admit that I need help? Who is it that's been pestering me about that ever since I saw my new therapist? We're not going to be hypocritical now are we?" Alistair raised an eyebrow at her as Rain blushed.

"I may be bad when it come to talking about my feelings, but you have me beat ten times over when you get really embarrassed," Alistair teased further and Rain's blush deepened. It took a second but she finally let out a frustrated sigh.

"Fine, fine. Can you just... can you just..." Rain still couldn't finish and Alistair didn't push her further on it. Instead she pulled her back into a hug and held her tight.

"We'll get through this one way or another okay?" Alistair said and she could feel Rain's sigh echo through her body as the woman relaxed against her.

"I'm tired. Tired of being confused. Tired of being afraid. Tired of looking over my shoulder for danger. Tired of being afraid of who I am and what others think of me. I just want it to stop hurting and make sense already," Rain whispered into her shoulder and Alistair nodded slowly. What hope for better could she offer when she was still so messed up herself?

"We'll figure this out one way or another. Believe me it will get better one day... it has to."


	18. Family Bonding

 

Amai yawned and looked down at Raiden who was standing on his back legs straining to look over the edge of the railing. The puppy was trying his best to get a good look at Shurika who was in the water swimming alongside the ship they were on. Technically she should still be back on the beach, but if a lagiacrus wants to do something then there really wasn't much that you could do to stop them. Seiva was also following alongside her but at a slower pace because his injuries were more severe and still far from healing. The ship in question was one of the biggest transport vessels in Tanzia and the Guild Knights had commissioned it for the funeral arrangements. Which basically meant the captain could go along politely and get paid for it or they could take it by force and pay him nothing.

At the back of the large ship was Sakala's body which had been wrapped up in sailcloth. It was the only thing they could find that was big enough and it had been donated by a few local sailors. The mighty lagiacrus had been a prominent fixture in Tanzia and even had his own dedicated fan club according to Rain. Locals and tourists loved him and Sakala had always been more people friendly then his brother Seiva. He didn't mind letting people get a bit closer so long as they didn't try and touch him. People loved him and news of his death as well as that of Storm's murder had traveled quickly throughout the port. Donations and other various offers had flooded in from all across the city, but Rain hadn't exactly been thrilled by the show of support.

_I can't exactly blame her for that. I mean just a few days ago people either just ignored Rain or treated her like trash. It shouldn't take an event like this for people to finally feel ashamed enough to give her a helping hand,_ Amai thought with a better understanding of why Alistair was currently hovering over her best friend like a mother azuros defending her cub from danger. She'd only known Alistair a few weeks and had been here in Port Tanzia for less than that, but it was obvious that any and all insults or damage done to Rain would immediately bring out every protective instinct that Alistair had in her.

Storm's body was also resting beside Sakala's. The ship was designed for large scale fishing and hunting so the back had a large ramp that could be lowered and raised by thick chains. When they arrived at the designated place the ramp would be lowered and both would simply slide off into the sea. Shurika would take care of things from there and ensure that they had a final resting place at the ocean floor. Speaking of which Raiden was having a fit. He was whining and fidgeting so much the ship's crew were starting to stare.

"Okay little guy hold on," Amai said finally taking pity on her new partner. Reaching down she wrapped her arms around the growing zinogre and picked him up so he could get a better view over the railing. She was sure to hold him tightly just in case he started moving around suddenly. Raiden let out an excited yip and she could feel his tail slapping against her back as he happily wagged it back and forth. Shurika glanced up from the water and snorted a response along with a sharp arc of electricity. Amai couldn't help but roll her eyes at that.

"Well aren't you two just best friends now. Ginouji might actually be jealous if he wasn't busy developing his own crush on her," she said and kissed the top of her puppy's head. Looking up Raiden panted happily and licked her cheek. It was so good to see him growing closer to her and actually being affectionate instead of just putting his head down or running away to hide when she entered the room.

Looking to her left she saw Rain sitting there on the deck with her back against the ship's railing. Alistair was still there standing next to her while Akairo and Ginouji peered over the lowest railing at the passing waves. They were growing fast and when they lifted their heads up now they were high enough to reach Alistair's hips. Most of their size was in their wings and tail, but it was only a matter of time before they were too big to be picked up anymore. Akairo had been pretty somber since yesterday and was clearly picking up on the fact that something had changed. Ginouji however was his usual curious but cautious self and clearly did not grasp what was going on.

Amai looked back at Rain who had her legs up against her chest and was staring down at the wooden deck in front of her. She certainly couldn't blame Rain for being upset. It must be devastating enough losing Storm like that, but then Sakala along with him? And it wasn't even an accident, but instead was a deliberate murder attempt. All of this happened because of who Rain was; there was no denying that.

_I can't imagine what kind of guilt she's dealing with right now... I wish I could do something more to help or make her feel better,_ Amai thought as she put Raiden back down on the deck. Of course the puppy promptly put his paws back up on the railing so he could watch Shurika swim alongside them. Doing nothing but sitting on the sidelines and letting someone else take care of things was getting really old really fast, but at the same time there was no way she was going over there right now. Not with Alistair still standing guard over Rain and glowering like that. She had almost shoved one of the ship's deck hands overboard already when he finally worked up the courage to say "excuse me" to them. Besides if Alistair wanted Amai for something then she would make that abundantly clear.

Amai was distracted when the deck shifted slightly beneath her feet. Looking up she saw the sails slacken and felt the ship starting to slow down a little. A whine from Raiden drew her attention back to the water and she turned around just in time to see Shurika slide beneath the waves and disappear. Seiva however came up alongside the ship and floated there as the ship coasted along through the water. All around deck the crewmen sprang into action around the back of the ship, preparing for the burial at sea. They must be coming up on the drop off location. Amai had spoken to Alistair a bit while they were still in port getting things ready. The drop off was a spot where the ocean floor plunged down into a massive chasm. It was over three nautical miles wide. There was a large island in sight not too far behind and to the left of them. Alistair told Amai earlier that this chasm and the waters surrounding the island were Shurika's normal territory and that both the lagiacrus and Rain wanted Storm and Sakala to be buried at sea here.

"Looks like they're almost ready to go," Amai said as she whistled to Raiden who looked up and came to sit down at her heels expectantly. "Come on let's go find a spot," she said and the puppy wagged his tail and followed alongside her as she headed to the back of the ship and found a spot just in front of the large ramp. On either side were large winches that were used to raise and lower the deck. A few feet to Amai's right was another chain with a large hook on it that was used to haul up the huge fishing nets the ship used when it was farther out at sea for weeks at a time.

Raiden yawned and sat down next to Amai. It was a good thing both he and the rathalos hatchlings were still young enough to want to stay close by, but she had still started training him on how to come, stay, and heel just in case. He was still shy but there was no telling when something or someone might distract him and make him dash off.

Moments later Alistair and Rain walked up beside her along with a woman with long dark blonde hair and sharp striking features. She didn't look very nice and apparently wasn't here to make friends judging by the way she kept shooting dark looks over towards Alistair and Rain. Sliding over a bit Amai leaned over towards Alistair and lowered her voice to whisper to her.

"Umm, who is that lady and why does she look like she wants to feed you to a school of sharqs?" Amai asked and Alistair glanced over and glared right back at the lady who huffed and looked away.

"That... _person_ is Rain's mother, Ramona, and she is not on good terms with me or her daughter," Alistair growled out the words and both Akairo and Ginouji hissed at the woman as well. Ramona for her part kept her eyes firmly set straight ahead of her. Amai leaned forward a little to get a better look at the sour faced woman.

"Why? I mean her son is dead and Rain is clearly feeling guilty about the whole thing. So why is she acting so cold? I've seen her walking around deck and she hasn't said two words to her own daughter," Amai whispered and almost wished she hadn't when Alistair's already dark look turned downright deadly.

"Stick around and you'll find out soon enough," Alistair muttered under her breath and crossed her arms as she flashed the woman another look. It was almost like she was daring the woman to say something, even one word to her or to Rain. Ramona however kept her eyes set forward as the captain of the ship motioned to his crewmen.

"Anyone want to say some last words before we do this?" he asked taking his wide brimmed hat off and looking pointedly at them. Amai certainly wasn't going to. She hadn't known Storm long enough to feel comfortable speaking up and Rain had already said that she wasn't going to be speaking. Ramona pursed her lips and shook her head slowly. Whatever may be going on between her and her daughter this had to be difficult seeing her son dead and ready for a burial at sea like this. Amai remembered that Rain's father was dead as well. She couldn't say when or where she had picked up that information or what had happened to him, but it did stick out in her memory right now.

"I'll say a few words," Alistair said suddenly and she took a few steps forward as both hatchlings chirped softly and leaned around to see what was happening. "I've known Storm for many years and so have most of the sailors here on this ship. He was tough man and an even tougher sailor who could navigate these waters blindfolded. He had more experience and knowledge then sailors twice his age and he didn't deserve to die this way. It's not fair that this happened to him, but this should be a reminder to all of us that what happens to one person affects everyone. If Storm had refused that transport it could just have easily been one of you who ended up dead or one of your sons..." Alistair paused for a moment and then added, "...or even one of your wives or girlfriends."

A quick look around at the crew showed that Alistair's words had hit them hard. Many of them fidgeted and a few snuck guilty looks over at Rain who was still staring down at her feet. When they first arrived and had walked down by the docks Amai was shocked to see the number of female sailors around the Port who either worked on boats or were captain's of their own ship. Some even operated entire fleets. Looking back at Alistair she listened as the woman gave a few closing words.

"If we don't stand up for each other then who will? If we don't report crimes when we see them take place in front of us then who's to say that this won't happen again? We can't close our eyes to the violence around us," Alistair said and Amai glanced over to see Rain smile slightly and wipe some tears away. Alistair was not holding back.

"This isn't the fault of a rogue hunter or a lax justice system. This is the fault of all those who saw something happening and refused to do anything about it. Storm is dead because no one wanted to get involved. No one wanted to speak up and stop someone from being bullied and mistreated. This is the fault of each and every person who turned their eyes away and it shouldn't take a good man dying for people to see that," Alistair's jaw and hands clenched as she finished her speech and returned back to Rain's side. Reaching over she put and arm around her comfortingly as Rain sniffed softly and wiped her tears away.

To say the crew looked uncomfortably would have been a vast understatement. Alistair certainly hadn't minced words any. The captain cleared his throat and waited for a moment but no one else spoke up. Waving his hand he motioned for them to get on with it. The protective railing at the back of the ship slid back as the ramp started to lower. When it was about halfway down both bodies slid back and into the water with a huge splash from Sakala's greater weight.

"Raise the sails and lets head back home!" the Captain ordered as the ship coasted along through the water. A few men stayed behind to raise the ramp and make sure the railing was back in place while the rest hurried to get the ship moving again so they could head back to port. Amai watched as the water behind them started to swirl around in a circle until a large whirlpool had formed. The steady blue glow of electricity slowly circling beneath the waves were evidence enough that this was Shurika's handiwork. Seiva for his part swam around near the spot as the ship started to pick up more speed and pull away, but he didn't dive down after his sister.

A small whimper came and Amai looked down to see Ginouji fidgeting and opening and closing his wings in obvious distress. He butted Alistair's legs and looked back at the water before turning back to his mother. He didn't understand why Sakala and Storm were gone and he clearly didn't like it.

Ramona looked over and eyed them with a frown before turning on her heel and stalking off practically with her nose in the air. Rain watched her go and then whispered something to Alistair before leaving and heading back to the center of the ship after her mother. Alistair did not look at all happy to see Rain heading in that direction but she had two baby rathalos to worry about as well.

"Amai go after her," Alistair said in a tone that made it sound like more of an order than a request. Crouching down she wrapped her arms around Ginouji and let him nuzzle against her.

"Hunh? Me?" Amai blinked and looked back and for between them. Rain had caught up to her mother and was now standing next to the railing talking to her.

"No I was talking to Raiden," Alistair said with a roll of her eyes as she pet Ginouji to comfort him. "Yes, of course I'm telling you. Go after Rain and stick with her. She doesn't have a great relationship with her step mother and I don't want them along together," she said with a worried look over to where the two women were standing. Amai followed her gaze. Now that she mentioned it Rain did look entirely too much like a scolded child right now with her shoulders up and her head down. 

"How I'm I supposed to know what that means? For all I know a screaming match is perfectly normal for them. What do you expect me to do?" Amai protested with her hands out in supplication. This was not something she wanted any part of. Family disputes were not the type of minefield she wanted to go running headlong across. Now Alistair looked up with frustration outlining her features, but she took a deep breath and let it out with a clenched jaw before answering.

"Just step in if things escalate too far. Rain needs support not someone browbeating her," Alistair said firmly as Ginouji whimpered again and looked back out at the ocean.

Amai nodded and picked up Raiden who was getting more comfortable with being held by her. Hurrying over she stood a short distance away. Close enough to hear what was going on but not enough to be overly suspicious hopefully.

"Mother I don't want to deal with this right now," Rain told her.

"Then when?" Ramona asked. "Every time we try to talk feelings get hurt on both sides and nothing ever gets done. We just circle back around to the same arguments all over again. When are we going to talk?" she demanded.

"I've already said everything I have to say. I've told you what I need from you. I need you to listen! I need you to support me!" Rain said her voice rising.

"And I need you to understand my point of view! Your father hurt you, that hunter and her siblings hurt you and no one helped. Then they killed Storm and Sakala. If your own family would lay their hands on you... if the people we depend on to keep us safe would take advantage of you then how am I supposed to sleep at night knowing my daughter could be targeted again?" Ramona pressed. Rain flinched and didn't answer.

"You say you shouldn't have to live in hiding and I agree. But you can't expect me not to worry, not to say something, not to demand that you do something to keep yourself safer. This time it was Storm and Sakala. Next time it might be Alistair or Amai. One day it could be you and all we've done is argue over who is right," Ramona said wiping tears away.

"I buried my son today and I will not bury my daughter as well! If my fears for your safety make me come across as cold or unsupportive then so be it. I'll be leaving Tanzia Port and moving away to someplace quieter. Safer. I hope you will consider doing the same," Ramona turned and walked away to the far end of the ship clearly ending the conversation. 

Amai felt a wave of relief, followed by shame, that she didn't have to intervene after all. Instead she walked over to Rain who was still standing there rooted in place.

"Obviously you're not okay but um..." Amai fidgeted as Raiden nudged up against Rain's legs, "Are you okay?" she asked lamely. Rain gave a weak laugh and rubbed at her eyes.

"No but thanks for coming over to check. I've always been angry at Ramona for not supporting me more, for not being more understanding but... I haven't exactly been as patient with her as I could be either," Rain admitted wearily.

"Sometimes its hard to see the difference between trying to keep your loved one safe and helping them and holding on too tightly and smothering them instead," Amai pointed out. That as a lesson she was learning now that she was living away from her homeland.

"I wish I could see the difference too," Rain mumbled.

"Come on. We're heading back to shore and I know Alistair's worried about you," Amai prompted taking Rain's arm and leading her back to where Alistair was with Ginouji and Akairo.

 

* * *

It had been a long tiring day and now they were all back at Rain's house relaxing in the back by the water. Seiva had just barely made it back through the waterways leading here and had collapsed on the sandy bank and gone straight to sleep as soon as he did. He hadn't even bothered to come all the way out of the water and instead just had his neck and head pillowed on the sand. His sister, Shurika, on the other hand was deeper out in the lake and had drifted down to the bottom of the water to sleep. Rain had put off sorting through Storm's stuff until later, so now they were sitting around having some drinks. 

Sighing contentedly, Rain leaned back in her cushioned deck chair and took another sip of the wine. To be honest she didn't really care much for the taste of alcohol, but Tanzia had some of the best fruity drinks around. Alistair was lounging in a longer chair on her right with her legs up and both rathalos hatchlings curled up on the chair with her. Amai was sitting on the edge of the deck swinging her legs back and forth as she watched the sunset.

"Are you guys sure I should be drinking this?"

Rain looked over and saw Amai staring at her glass suspiciously.

"The drinking age here is limited to one small glass of wine a day for those 15 and up and you're almost 18 aren't you? Besides I watered it down for you just in case. So don't go getting any ideas about my wine cabinet filled with 'fruity women's drinks,'" Rain made air quotes as she recalled how Storm had always referred to her drinks of choice.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that anytime soon," Amai said making a disgusted face before handing the glass back. Rain shrugged and poured the drink into her own nearly empty one.

"There is a question I wanted to ask if its okay? I mean you can just tell me to buzz off if its too personal but what are your thoughts on getting married, Rain?" Amai asked curiously. Alistair also looked over at her. Rain thought about that.

"For a long time I wasn't sure. I was still figuring out how I felt towards other women and so much else was going on. Plus sex isn't really that appealing or important to me but it is for some people and some relationships. I'm not disgusted by it or anything but still that's not going to be easy for some people to hear, people can put a lot of value on it, Or they can have a lot o emotional baggage associated with it," Rain said and Alistair made a sound of agreement at the last part. 

"But if I found the right person... sure, I'd love to get married. Now adopting kids.... I don't know about that but otherwise when the time is right, sure," Rain replied. 

"I'm not ready for a relationship and I've been too focused on being a hunter for anything else anyway but... I don't know. I like being a hunter and helping people so it would have to be someone who's okay with that or preferably someone who can keep up with me," Amai said after a moment of thought.

"Whatever happens I know you'll find someone, Rain. Your... special," Alistair said squeezing her hand tightly and running her thumb across the back. Amai cleared her throat loudly and Alistair pulled her hand back, her cheeks slightly pink. Rain blushed as well and quickly took another sip of her drink. Amai stood up and stretched.

"Well I'm exhausted so I'm going to go inside and work on a new piece of chest armor to replace the one that plesioth ripped up. Are you two coming in or are you going to keep sitting here drinking all the alcohol?" Amai asked as Raiden came running over and shook sand all over his master's legs.

"Obviously sit here drinking all the alcohol," Rain answered as Alistair poured another glass for herself. Amai rolled her eyes and went inside complaining about the two of them. Settling back in her chair, Rain looked over and saw the first few stars beginning to appear in the sky.

"Tomorrow Aureus is coming over so we can make a trip to the market and maybe the mine nearby for some ore to supplement Ginouji's diet with. I've got an appointment with my psychiatrist tomorrow as well. I know Aureus isn't your favorite person but I'd really like you to come with me," Alistair requested and Rain made a face at that.

"I'll admit Aureus isn't bad, but I'm not totally sold on him. Way too talkative. Still if you want me to be there then I'll come with you. It will be nice to get out of the house. I need to get out of here or I'll just sit around moping and feeling depressed," Rain admitted and Alistair nodded and relaxed back in her own chair as Ginouji shifted position and put his head down on her stomach to sleep.

"Alistair? Thank you. Not just for this but for everything. For being here," Rain said appreciatively. "You really think I'll find someone one day?" she added. Alistair looked back over at her and her eyes lingered just a moment longer then necessary.

"Yeah... I know you will. You should give yourself more credit then that. You're an incredible woman," she said earnestly. Alistair cleared her throat and looked away, taking a big swallow of her wine. Rain forced herself to look away as well. Granted she wasn't always the best when it came to reading people's signals but more and more lately she started to wonder if maybe Alistair was interested in being more then friends.

_But I can think about that later. There's been enough happening today already,_ Rain thought letting out a sigh. She took a sip of her drink and settled back to watch the sunset.


	19. Crimson Flash

Chapter 19: Crimson Flash

* * *

Ginouji sighed and moved his wings to get more comfortable. When he still couldn't get settled he rolled over to his other side and lay there for a moment. Still he just couldn't sleep. All he could think about was what mother had told him earlier about Sakala and Storm. He knew they had been hurt and he thought the bad lady who hurt Rain had done it to them, but he thought that they just needed to rest like Rain had and then Storm would wake up and Sakala would be fine again. When Ginouji saw them being dropped into the water and the big one, Shurika, taking them down down deep he knew something wasn't right.

Mother said that Storm had been hurt really bad. So bad that he went to sleep, but it wasn't like when she put them down to sleep when the sun was high every day. Storm was hurt so bad that he would never wake up again. Sakala was hurt bad too and they gave him something that would make him sleep forever. Mother said they weren't hurting anymore. Ginouji knew the bad lady who hurt Rain had done it to them. He wished that he and Akairo were bigger. If he was big and bad like the big flying monster was then he would have chomped the bad lady like he chomped the food mother gave them to eat. But he wouldn't eat her though because that would be strange. Monsters like mother may be bad sometimes but they weren't for food.

Grumbling and fussing, Ginouji shook his head and fluttered his wings. He just couldn't sleep. Akairo had already snapped at him for moving around so much and he didn't want to wake mother up too. Mother needed sleep so she could wake up strong and teach them more stuff.

But what about Rain?

Ginouji lifted his head and looked over towards the open door. Getting up he shook himself and grabbed his favorite soft blanket in his mouth and hurried towards the door. Everything was dark now but Amai's door was open too so he went over to peek in. His new friend Raiden was sleeping under her arm and his legs were twitching as he slept. The soft stuff on his body was flashing just like Shurika flashed. It must be because of that sparky tingly stuff they let off. Backing up Ginouji turned around and went to the room where Rain slept.

Putting his head down, Ginouji pushed the door open and peeked inside. Rain was up on her big soft blanket and she was making sad sounds like she had before when she saw how bad Sakala was hurt. Lifting his wings, Ginouji hurried over and stood up as tall as he could to try and look at her. He could just see over the top and he gave a muffled squeak to try and get her attention. When she didn't hear him he grumbled and did it louder. This time she rolled over and saw him. Ginouji squeaked again and fluttered his wings as Rain sat up and moved closer to the edge of her soft sleeping thing.

Rain called his name and said something with a questioning tone. Ginouji didn't know what she was saying, but he thought she was asking what he was doing there. Chirping to her, Ginouji lifted his wings again. Rain moved all the way over and reached down towards him picking him up. For a moment she held him against her while she moved back over to the middle of the big soft thing and then she put him back down.

Satisfied Ginouji shook himself and settled himself down at her side. Rain was mother's bestest friend ever and he could tell that Rain liked mother a lot too so he wanted to cheer her up. If some bad person hurt Akairo and took him away forever then he would feel sad and angry so Rain must feel the same way. Ginouji didn't want her to be sad he wanted her to be happy. If she was happy then maybe mother would be happier too.

Moving a little closer, Ginouji leaned against Rain and put his head down on her chest. Rain hesitated for a moment before slowly putting her arm around him. Gently she scratched under his wings and Ginouji shivered in pleasure.

"Sleep?"

Ginouji looked up at her and gurgled curiously. He understood that word and he chirped and nuzzled her arm. Rain held him closer but did it very carefully. Maybe she was worried that he would bite her. He would never bite her. Rain was nice and mother would be so very proud of him for this. Pleased by that thought Ginouji nuzzled up under Rain's neck and closed his eyes.

* * *

Waking up and going straight into a panic attack was not how Alistair wanted to start her day. Taking deep breaths she tried to calm down and reason through her anxiety. Akairo had evidently learned how to climb up on the bed somehow since she had woken up to him curled up against her back with his head resting on her neck. The small wooden shelf unit at the end of the bed was covered in scratches from his attempts to climb up on it. Ginouji on the other hand was nowhere to be seen. Usually he was the first one to jump up and nuzzle her when she woke up every morning. Alistair had skipped her sleep medicine last night because she hated how drowsy and sluggish it made her the next day. Of course she had suffered all night from terrible nightmares as a result.

The only nightmare vivid enough for her to remember had featured Narane laughing like a manic while she tortured Akairo and Ginouji. So the minute Alistair woke up she had looked around for her babies and saw that Ginouji was missing. Instead of mounting anxiety she had immediately had a full-blown panic attack that was only just now starting to subside. Akairo being the sweetheart that he was had seen her starting to panic and immediately climbed into her lap.

Letting out another breath, Alistair held Akairo close to her chest and closed her eyes as she mentally worked through her anxiety like her therapist had advised her to do.

 _Ginouji is fine. Nothing happened to him. Just because he's never wandered off before that doesn't automatically mean he's in trouble. He likes Rain so maybe he went to her. That's all it is. I'll get up and find him with Rain and everything will be just fine,_ Alistair repeated the words over and over again in her head until her panic attack finally subsided completely. A curious chirp came from Akairo as she straightened up and sighed heavily.

"I'll be okay little guy," Alistair said rubbing under his chin. The rathalos baby gurgled happily and shivered with pleasure as she rubbed under his wings as well. "Okay now let's go find your brother," she said sliding over to the edge of the bed. Picking up the baby wyvern she put him down on the floor and stood up. She pulled up her long pajama pants a little so she wouldn't accidentally step on the bottom of them. They were actually Rain's and therefore a few inches too long. All of Alistair's had ended up giving their lives to be new chew toys or blankets for her babies. Thankfully she had managed to save a few t-shirts to sleep in before the rathalos could decide to go after them as well. They may be small but those teeth and claws were razor sharp.

As soon as Alistair stepped into the hallway she heard Amai's voice talking from the kitchen, evidently she was feeding Raiden. The sound of running water from the shower was closer. She hesitated for a moment but didn't need to make a decision because Akairo chirped and ran straight towards Rain's doorway. A second later Ginouji's head popped out of the doorway and he chirped happily when he saw Alistair. Immediately he ran over to her and butted her legs in greeting.

"There you are. Been keeping Rain company have you?" Alistair asked as she crouched down and let the baby rathalos press against her. Ginouji chirped happily and looked up at her with bright blue eyes full of trust and adoration. Akairo too put his head down on her shoulder lovingly. How could she ever have thought of abandoning them to a bunch of researchers? How could she have been foolish enough to think that resisting their love and attention was the best way to go? They were her babies no matter how much she tried to ignore that or act like it wasn't true. Alistair just hoped that this all wouldn't come back to bite her one day. Literally or figuratively.

"Okay, okay enough mushy stuff. Let's get you two something to eat," Alistair said and immediately both rathalos hatchlings starting squawking and dancing around in anticipation. They knew exactly what that word meant. Alistair let both babies run ahead of her to the kitchen. Just as she thought Amai was already there in the kitchen. Apparently Raiden was fed because now Amai was cracking open some eggs and frying them up in a large pan.

"Morning! I thought I'd help out by making breakfast. Fresh egg omelets with some bullfango sausage, peppers and onions. Potatoes too if you want them," Amai said as she grabbed some peppers and onions she had already cut up. Alistair walked into the kitchen and sidestepped a crate of fruit juice that was on the floor. Rain had ordered it at the market after her first therapy session.

"Umm... yeah... sure that sounds good," Alistair said surprised to see the teenager making breakfast. The fact that Amai was up and as cheerful as ever was to be expected, but Alistair had never actually seen her cook before. Hopefully she wouldn't end up with food poisoning or something. Alistair rubbed her eyes and pushed the crate out of the way before heading to the fridge.

She picked out several fish fillets and put them down on two large plates. Akairo and Ginouji may get along well, but they were _not_ interested in sharing their food. Considering their growing size she was thinking of including more meat into their diet as well as letting them get used to whole pieces like legs and tails instead of cutting them up beforehand. She would be sure to ask Aureus what he thought about that today on their way to the mine to learn more about what kind of ore Ginouji would need included in his diet.

"All right, all right I hear you," Alistair said to the little squealing wyverns as she put one plate down in front of Akairo and the other a few feet away for Ginouji. Once both of them were in their respective corners of the kitchen and occupied with their breakfast she looked over at Amai who was putting the first omelet on a plate along with a generous serving of potatoes. Alistair had to admit it smelled amazing. She still wasn't totally convinced but at least it wasn't burnt.

"Aureus is coming by today to take me to the mine and possibly the market to show me what kinds of ore Ginouji is going to need for his diet. Do you want to come with Rain and I?" Alistair asked as Amai dropped a small piece of bullfango sausage on the floor for Raiden. The baby zinogre sniffed it curiously before eating it and licking his lips. His tail thumped on the floor as he looked up at his adopted mother for more. Amai smiled at her partner before looking back up at Alistair who was still waiting for an answer. She hesitated for a moment and her eyes darted away for a moment before she looked back.

"Umm, sure I'd love to come along but..." Amai paused and looked back at her, "I saw Rain coming out of her room earlier and I don't think she's feeling good. I think it's her time of the month or something," she said handing Alistair a plate and silverware. Immediately she tried to amend things when she saw the way Alistair was starting to frown at her. "Hey, I'm not making fun of her! I'm being serious!" she defended and both of them fell silent when Rain herself came shuffling through the house and into the kitchen.

She was wearing a black tank top and loose dark blue pants and clearly she was not happy judging from the scowl on her face. Instead of saying hello she just stood there staring down into space as if some unseen being had personally offended her somehow. After a moment she shuffled past Amai and grabbed a tea pot and a bag that had a sweet and delicate aroma wafting from it. Rain drinking tea at anytime could only mean that Amai's suspicions were correct.

"Morning, Rain. How are you feeling today?" Amai asked tentatively as Raiden greeted the woman with a small yip.

"Oh I'm peachy. I just _love_ bleeding from my nether regions for a week and feeling like a savage deviljho is rampaging around my lower abdomen every month," Rain snarled the words as she slammed the metal pot down on the counter and glared at it angrily. Alistair slid over and gently pulled the empty tea-pot out of her friend's hands.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to snap. I had a bad night thinking about my brother and Sakala and now this and... its just a lot," Rain apologized soft.

"Why don't you go sit down and eat while I make you some tea instead? It will only take a few minutes," Alistair offered.

"Are you sure?" Rain asked.

"Of course I am. Besides you've already done so much to help. This is the least I can do," Alistair said firmly as Rain's wavered and looked over at the large kitchen table.

"Alistair is right. Here eat this. I promise as Raiden is my zinogre that it won't give you food poisoning," Amai said handing a second plate to Rain even as she grinned at Alistair for good measure. Ignoring the childish gesture, Alistair grabbed some extra silverware that was lying on the counter and handed it to Rain. Then she turned the woman around and started pushing her out of the kitchen.

Rain sighed and looked over her shoulder and said, "Okay... okay, thanks. I'm sorry for snapping at you guys. I'll try not to be such a pain the rest of the day," she apologized heading over to take a seat at the table as Alistair returned to the kitchen and filled the tea-pot with water before putting it on a stove burner that was still hot. Amai grabbed her own food and followed Rain out to the table with Raiden and both hatchlings following after her. Greedy little things, all of them.

"I'm still coming with you today," Rain said and continued before Alistair could say anything, "If I stay here alone with just my lagiacrus then I'm going to be even more depressed. If Amai stays here with me then it's going to be awkward and uncomfortable no offense intended," she said quickly.

"None taken believe me," Amai said waving her apology away.

"I already took some pain killers but either way I'm gonna be miserable. So I'd rather spend the day with my best friend then sit here feeling even more pathetic than ever," Rain explained just barely managed to mask another grimace of pain.

"If that's what you want then I certainly won't try to stop you. Aureus should be here in an hour or so," Alistair said as she grabbed a clay mug and waited for the water to start boiling. Reaching over she grabbed the fork took a bite of the omelet Amai had made since the plate was still sitting on the counter next to her. It was _really_ good. Amai was definitely going to be doing more cooking from now on. Rain could make some amazing sandwiches, desserts and mix a few drinks here and there but the rest she was still learning and practicing with.

"First off you, Amai, are definitely doing more cooking from now on," Alistair stated as she bit into one of the cut potatoes. "Also I plan on wearing my azure rathalos armor today along with my alatreon switch axe since my lagiacrus set is currently at the armory being refitted and having minor repairs made," Alistair said while mentally taking stock of her current armor sets and weapons. "I don't really want to get all suited up just to go on a long walk through the local jungle, but you never know what might happen. So I'd rather be safe then sorry. What about you Amai?" she asked looking over at the teenager who had already wolfed down most of her meal. Alistair stopped Amai before she could speak and motioned for her to swallow first. Amai rolled her eyes but did as she was instructed to.

"Well the plesioth was parceled out rather well. Most of the meat they cut up and sold at the market that day before it could spoil, but they saved as much stuff as they could for armor. I got fitted for it the night..." Amai paused awkwardly and looked over at Rain who was silently eating her meal with her head down. "Ummm... the night we found out about Storm and... umm," clearing her throat Amai skipped over that part and said, "Well you get the picture. Anyway I got fitted for it and paid extra for a rush order. They dropped off my new armor and dual blades yesterday while you two were busy out back arguing over what kind of wine you wanted," she was practically glowing with happiness as she said it and stabbed her fork in the direction of her room to emphasize her point.

"I agree that it would be nice to relax and just take it easy for once, but after the way we were attacked on the beach last time I'm not going to take the risk of going out unarmed. Especially now that I have Raiden to protect as well," Amai looked down at her baby zinogre and the puppy wagged his tail happily at her attention.

Alistair nodded and put her fork down so she could take the boiling water off the burner. She put some of the tea leaves in to a small pouch and dropped into the mug before pouring the water over ii.

"Well once I'm done eating I'm going to get changed into my armor and grab my weapon. Let's hope that we don't run into trouble," Alistair added hopefully.

* * *

"If he tries to talk to me one more time..." Rain snarled at the back of Aureus' head as he walked ahead of them talking animatedly to Amai. Alistair glanced over at the young man and tried to help mend the rift. After all she was the one who was supposed to be twitchy and anxious, not Rain. Both Akairo and Ginouji were running around just ahead of Alistair playing a game of "keep away" with a coconut that had fallen out of a palm tree while they were walking.

Turning back to her friend, Alistair said, "That's just the way he is and thankfully Amai can hold her own when it comes to talking to him. Besides I think he got the picture the last time when Seiva started hissing at him." Even as she spoke the big ivory lagiacrus' head came down and hovered next to Rain.

Apparently Shurika and Seiva had made an agreement between themselves that Rain was not to go out alone whenever possible. In fact he had waited right at the front door casting a suspicious eye at Aureus who was talking to the lagiacrus and trying to convince Seiva of his good intent. Then he had stubbornly proceeded to follow them all the way out of town despite Rain's repeated urgings to go back and her firm statements that Alistair and Amai would do just fine protecting her. It _was_ a rather odd sight to see such a large and dangerous monster following along behind Rain as if he would devour anyone who so much as looked at her wrong.

According to Rain his response to her urgings was somewhere along the lines of "Very safe with them. Even safer with me. Only dead monsters argue with lagiacrus." Upon receiving that message Rain had just thrown her hands up and stopped arguing.

Aureus had started chattering away as soon as he arrived at Rain's front door and hadn't stopped since. After giving his condolences Aureus had started rambling on about Abyssal Lagiacrus and how much was still unknown about their behavior and how it was such a privilege to actually see one in person. It was bad enough that Rain didn't like him already, but now she was hormonal on top of her already emotional mourning for her brother and in pain. Plus Seiva was continually hovering over her like a mother rathian with her eggs.

Frankly, Alistair was surprised by the fact that Aureus was still alive at all. Thankfully Amai had swooped in to save the day. All it took was one question about zinogre and Aureus eyes had lit up right away. Amai had really been coming through for them lately and Alistair made a mental note to thank her properly later on.

"Are you doing okay?" Alistair asked with a side glance at Rain whose lips were pulled together in another grimace. Apparently the pain killers she took weren't doing a very effective job.

"I'll survive," Rain grunted out the words as she rubbed her abdomen uncomfortably. "Besides it's a nice day, there's a good breeze going, and all the babies are enjoying themselves at least. I'm irritable and in pain, but I'll make it," she added and Alistair nodded and looked down the hard packed dirt road. Birds were chirping and smaller monsters were darting back and forth through the thick jungle beside them. It was a pretty nice day actually even despite the armor she was wearing.

"Well I am glad you came and so far we haven't seen..."

Alistair was cut off when a roar shattered the air and a group of birds shot up into the air and quickly flew away. Akairo and Ginouji immediately stopped playing and ran straight back to their mother. Thankfully that seemed to be an instinctive reaction whenever they felt like they were in trouble.

"...any monsters..." Alistair finished with a heavy sigh as she grabbed her switch axe off her back and got ready for a fight. That roar had been awfully close. Up ahead Amai had shoved Aureus behind her and whipped out her new dual blades. Alistair was going to take a step forward but was stopped when Rain put a hand across her chest armor.

"Wait... that didn't sound quite right..." Rain frowned as Seiva hissed and curled his body and tail around them protectively. His jaws and back sparking with electricity as he looked around for danger. Alistair saw a flash of red next to her before another roar split the air behind them. Seiva whipped his head around and grabbed something in his jaws that immediately started squawking and squealing in protest.

"Let go! Let go! Bad bad! Just making joke! Just making joke!" a strange, higher pitched and clearly inhuman voice wailed and complained as Seiva whipped his head back and forth.

"Let him go! Let him go!" Aureus was running over waving his hands frantically at the lagiacrus and Seiva paused for a brief second. Just long enough for Alistair to see the crimson qurupeco locked firmly in his jaws. The large bird wyvern twisted its head around and kicked its large clawed feet into the empty air behind it.

"Let go! Let go! Just making joke! No harm little hunter people!" the Crimson Qurupeco chirped out in strange but understandable words as it squirmed around in Seiva's mouth. Amai had run over as well and her jaw dropped visibly as the monster spoke. Alistair felt like doing the same thing. Sure she had read about some monsters being able to talk when she was doing some research at the Loc Lac library, but she had never actually heard one talk herself.

Hissing irritably, Seiva's jaws tightened and the qurupeco started squealing even louder. The other monster may just have been trying to scare them as a joke, but the lagiacrus was clearly not amused by it.

"It's okay it's okay! I know him! I know him!" Aureus said frantically when Seiva seemed more inclined to snapping the creature's neck and eating him as a midday snack then letting him go. Rumbling reluctantly the Ivory Lagiacrus casually dropped the qurupeco a dozen or so feet down to the ground where it flopped around before climbing back to its feet and shaking itself off with several feathers now askew.

"Not nice! Not nice at all! Just making joke! Big ones no humor. No laugh. No fun," the bird wyvern grumbled even as he took several large steps away from Seiva who continued to glare at the other monster. Aureus sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead as the crimson qurupeco strutted around and shook the lagiacrus spit off his feathers and wings. Alistair couldn't help but be a bit fascinated by the monster. She had seen regular qurupeco, but the crimson variety she had only read about in books and seen in paintings. They were rather beautiful when they weren't busy calling some other monster to come and eat you.

 _Beautiful maybe but still annoying troublemakers,_ Alistair thought as the qurupeco preened and shook his tail out. Aureus meanwhile was busy trying to apologize.

"Sorry he scared you everyone. This is Jasper. He was found injured when he was just a few years old and was healed at our research center. He took a shine to one of the ladies there and would come and stay for quite a while. She's the one who taught him to talk whenever he came by, but she died in an accident a couple of years ago and Jasper returned to the wild once she was gone. Now he mostly just spends his time playing jokes and causing trouble," Aureus explained giving the giant bird a disapproving frown as both Ginouji and Akairo squeaked and peeked out from behind Alistair's legs. As soon as Jasper saw the little hatchlings he let out a trill and hopped over to her excitedly.

"Tiny flame wings!" Jasper trilled as he bent down to get a closer look, which prompted immediate hissing from both rathalos babies. Jasper tilted his head back and forth as he examined them curiously. Seiva grumbled but settled down a bit when Rain started petting his neck soothingly. Straightening up the qurupeco looked around and then lowered his head back down to Alistair's eye level.

"But where big flame wings? Not same color as Big Blue. You momma instead? You human. Not big flame flier," Jasper questioned with the utmost seriousness. It was all Alistair could do not to laugh at the way he spoke. Since he didn't have lips his letters tended to come out rather strangely, but he was still generally understandable. At least she assumed that "ooo" meant "you" and that "ooman" was "human."

"Ummm, yes I raise them back at my..." Alistair stopped and tried to figure out how to word this. She also remembered the book at Loc Lac saying that qurupeco were intelligent, but they wouldn't be as smart as a rathalos and certainly not as smart as a lagiacrus who was able to understand human terminology and concepts such as houses and ships. Also she was aware of the fact that qurupeco territories tended to overlap and they were quite a bit smaller than rathian and rathalos. So there was a good chance that Jasper had never left this general area. If that was the case then he had probably only ever seen Big Blue and his mate Scarlet, the azure rathalos and pink rathian who lived nearby. He wouldn't know that rathalos came in different colors.

"At her nest. She raises them back at her nest," Aureus supplied much to Alistair's relief as Jasper looked over his shoulder at him. Turning back the qurupeco considered that for a moment.

"But why strange color? One bright pretty color like me. The other boring, boring," Jasper said with a wary side eye at Ginouji who was cocking his head back and forth and chirping softly as he listened to the creature talk.

"Well you know some qurupeco look different right?" Aureus explained patiently and Jasper lit up at those words.

"Look different like boring flame 'peco look different? Make sense," Jasper said with a sage nod as Rain slid back over to Alistair's side and leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"Your therapist is going to _love_ hearing about this," she said softly and Alistair rolled her eyes and pushed her away.

Amai cleared her throat from her spot behind Aureus and asked, "I'm sorry to interrupt but we probably should get moving again at some point," she pointed out. Unfortunately her words also attracted Jasper's attention and the bird wyvern ran over and looked down at Raiden who was peering out from between Amai's legs.

"Hey ho little sparky fuzz! Big sparky leave long suns ago. Other 'pecos say she get hurt and go long sleep so no danger of being chomped anymore. You little fuzz mother now?" Jasper asked with undisguised curiosity. Now Alistair broke out into a laugh.

"Little sparky fuzz?" Alistair asked with a snort of laughter as she looked over at Aureus who flushed and scratched his neck.

"His descriptions of other monsters can be rather... interesting at times," Aureus said with an embarrassed smile. He opened his mouth to say something else when both Jasper and Seiva snapped their heads over to the left.

"What is it? Is something coming?" Rain asked as Seiva rumbled and his back spikes started to charge up with electricity. Alistair had put her switch axe away but now she pulled it back out and she nodded to Amai. Looking over she also saw Jasper slowly trying to sneak away unnoticed.

"Jasper! Where do you think you're going!" Alistair barked out and the crimson qurupeco flinched and hung his head.

"Umm, maybe possibly make big bad," Jasper said as a crashing sound started to come from the jungle around them. "Just make big monster sound and scare little hunter people for fun fun time. Big monster nearby hear instead and come running. Hear sound, think good good food," he stated as his wings started to spread. Clearly he was intending to leave them to fight the incoming monsters on their own. Immediately Alistair leveled her weapon at him.

"Oh no you don't bird brain. You called this monster and you _will_ help us get rid of it. Unless you want me to find _your_ nest and make good good food out of _you_ ," Alistair warned, fully intending to come through with her threat as well if he decided to take off. Jasper stared at her and then lifted his head to look over to where the crashing and footfalls were getting louder.

"Maybe stay and help little hunter people after all."

"Smart birdie."

Alistair hurried over and stood in front of Seiva who had curled his body around Rain, Aureus, and the hatchlings in order to protect them. Amai was already standing there with her new dual blades drawn. A roar shook the air and Alistair grimaced. She recognized that roar and it was far worse than a plesioth.

"Do you know what's coming? It's not a deviljho is it? I've heard that crimson qurupeco can summon them," Amai asked nervously as she took a glance back towards Raiden. Alistair shook her head and took a deep breath to steel her nerves and help her focus. She would not freeze up like she almost had last time. Seiva was here and he wouldn't let any of them get hurt.

"Trust me it's not a deviljho," Alistair said as she stared out into the jungle and saw the trees swaying. Beside her she could hear Amai sigh in relief. "This is far worse. It sounds like an abiorugu," she added and Amai whipped around to stare at her.

"Worse? How could that be worse then a deviljho?" she demanded as the trees and ground started to shake more and more.

"Because abiorugu _always_ hunt in packs," Alistair paused when the giant green brute wyvern burst through the trees its tail snapping several large trees. Seconds later two more came roaring through the trees behind it and immediately set their sights on the two hunters.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More trouble on the horizon! First a plesioth and now a pack of abiorugu! For those of you who aren't familiar with it you can find pictures and info about it on the Monster Hunter Wiki site. They were the first brute wyverns added to the Monster Hunter Frontier series, a game that those of us here in the West are apparently never, ever, ever going to see released. It has been compared to deviljho because they can appear in warm or cold regions, but they aren't cannibalistic and they usually work as a team when hunting.
> 
> Thank you for reading and please leave a review or comment!


	20. Help From Unexpected Places

Alistair stood her ground as they came under attack. This time it wasn't just one monster, it was three and abiorugu knew how to work together. There were two smaller males and one large female who must be the pack leader. One of the male abiorugu ran off towards Seiva who was glowing with electricity and ready to fight. The other male hissed and peeled off to stalk Amai who had both her blades up. That left the largest female who was currently running straight towards Alistair.

Instead of running, Alistair stood her ground and kept her weapon in axe form. She had to get her timing just right.

Roaring in challenge the female abiorugu bared down on Alistair and her steps slowed for just a moment as she opened her jaws to bite her. Bracing her feet and setting her shoulders, Alistair swung the weapon up in a sharp arc and straight into the female's lower jaw with a sharp crack. She felt it slam into the bony spikes on its lower jaw and break several of them off. Alistair immediately dove to the side as the female screeched in fury and swung her head back down and swept it back and forth trying to get at her in revenge.

Alistair blocked one bite with her weapon and then knocked the monster back with another sharp uppercut. This time the female took several steps back and Alistair could see her starting to inhale deeply. Taking a quick glance back she saw the male that was chasing Amai quickly dart in and drive her back towards Alistair.

"They're trying to pin us down! They can breathe fire in a continuous stream from side to side," Alistair said as Amai backed up and stood beside her.

"So what do we do?" Amai asked as both abiorugu started to inhale.

"Charge them dead on and then dodge to the side as soon as they let loose," Alistair said as she looked past and saw Seiva firing sharp blasts of electricity at the male abiorugu to keep it away. So far it was working and the monster didn't seem eager to take on the Ivory Lagiacrus directly and instead kept roaring and hissing from a safe distance away.

"Now!" Alistair ordered and both of them charged forward at the same time towards their targets. The female abiorugu opened her mouth to let loose her fire blast but Jasper shot down from the sky tearing at her eyes with his feet. This threw her off balance and she grunted in surprise and backed up as Jasper retreated to a safe distance.

A furious and clearly frustrated scream from behind made Alistair smile. Apparently Amai was taking care of herself just fine which enabled her to keep her mind focused on the matter at hand. Even with Seiva here it was highly unlikely that the abiorugu would actually decide to run. This female was big and if she got into trouble and had to back off then the two males would come in and team up to keep both hunters occupied while she got her second wind.

Alistair knew she wasn't good enough take an abiorugu down but she _was_ skilled enough to make one think twice. Problem was they had more than one to deal with. Seiva was strong enough and intelligent enough that he could probably kill one on his own, but Alistair also knew that he wasn't going to move too far away from Rain or the hatchlings. He wouldn't leave Aureus in the open either even if he didn't like him and the abiorugu would take advantage of that. Seiva was strong enough, but his area of attack was limited. Alistair and Amai could move around, but they weren't strong enough to handle these monsters directly for very long. Thankfully a plan was already forming in her head. Maybe two hunters and a lagiacrus weren't enough to take them down but they weren't exactly alone.

"Seiva I need you to go after that monster directly!" Alistair said as she dropped to the ground to avoid a tail sweep from the large female. From the corner of her eye she saw the male sweep his head down to bite Amai only to yelp and jerk back when she sliced up and left a large cut over his eye. That was definitely going to scar if he lived long enough for it. Still it proved that Amai could take care of herself. As long as she keep moving and didn't stay still for very long then she should be okay.

Seiva snorted in surprise at the words and Alistair didn't need Rain to translate the look of blatant disbelief that was on his face right now.

"Jasper! You protect the humans and little ones!" Alistair continued and Jasper, who was now behind Seiva, popped his head up.

"Will do mighty hunter!" Jasper squawked as he puffed his chest out proudly.

"Then I need you to call Big Blue and his mate Scarlet. I need them here as soon as possible," Alistair shouted as she whipped her blade around aiming for the large female's feet. The abiorugu jumped backwards and spun around throwing a wave of tail spikes at her. Raising her switch axe she blocked them with the largest part of the blade but one spike bounced off and slammed into her helmet snapping her head back. Stumbling backwards, Alistair had to stab her weapon into the ground and lean on it for support as the road and forest around her tilted and wavered. Closing her eyes, Alistair grimaced and struggled past the wave of dizziness. She couldn't afford to stand still and distracted like that for very long. Taking a deep breath, Alistair rubbed her eyes and looked back over to see both monsters staring at her now as if she had lost her mind.

"Well what are you waiting for? Do you want to get rid of these things or stand around getting your scales and feathers bitten off?" Alistair asked even as the smaller male darted in and tried to get past Seiva. Roaring loudly, Seiva sank his teeth into the monsters tail and physically dragged him backwards even while he pumped the other monster's body full of electricity. That was enough to make the male back off, but not for long. Seiva needed to engage the abiorugu directly and draw his attention away or it would just keep trying to go around the lagiacrus. Also with Rain, Aureus and the babies so close, Seiva was limited in the types of moves he could use to fight since they were close enough to get caught in the crossfire.

Jasper may not be quite as big, but he could still blind or paralyze larger monsters if he hit them directly. In fact he seemed ready to do so right now. His blue wing flints were glowing and he made two large hops forward before slamming both wing flints into the abiorugu's right leg. Immediately the monster screeched in surprise as its leg went limp and it started to slide to the ground. Struggling to maintain balance he swung his head around and tried to shoot a blast of fire at Jasper, but the crimson qurupeco was already running back behind Seiva who was now stalking forward quickly thus forcing the other monster to make a hasty retreat.

Alistair tried to lift her weapon but was forced to stop when another wave of dizziness washed over her so strongly she nearly threw up. What she needed was to lay down for a few minutes with her eyes closed but that wasn't going to happen in a situation like this. With a slow shake of her head, Alistair saw Rain and Aureus crouched down and they both put their hands over their ears as Jasper's vocal sac expanded and he let out a loud summoning roar. First for a rathalos and then for a rathian. He did both of them twice before shaking his tail feathers back and forth.

"Big flame wings come soon. Fly fast! Hope have good plan mighty hunter," Jasper called out to her as Alistair focused her attention on the large female abiorugu who was still standing there in front of her. Only now she was starting to shift back and forth uncertainly. She had heard Jasper's call and knew that she needed to get this over with. Alistair knew this plan was risky but if it worked then it would pay off big.

They were technically outside of Big Blue's territory which extended farther north then it did in any other direction, but rathalos would frequently stray outside their boundaries if it meant keeping other dangerous predators from coming in. Abiorugu tended to wander around and they would eat just about anything they could find. It may not be mating season right now, but rathalos hatchlings stayed with their parents for quite a while so it was entirely likely that Big Blue and Scarlet could still have young ones they were protecting. If that was the case—and Alistair dearly hoped that it was—then they would be furious at the sight of not just one but _three_ of the large predators so close to their territory border. At their age both of them would be more than aware of how dangerous abiorugu were and would hopefully head straight for them instead of the tiny humans.

Until then, however, it was up to her, Amai, and Seiva to keep these monsters occupied and now that Jasper was protecting the others Seiva was not holding back. Already he had side-slammed the male abiorugu he was fighting and knocked him back so hard with his tail that the other male staggered backwards dizzily. Amai's quick speed and footwork was obviously frustrating the monster that she was fighting and it was now simply biting and stomping its feet around everywhere in an attempt to get at her.

"Bring it on big girl," Alistair said backing up slowly as the female abiorugu hissed and slowly stalked forward eyes blazing. She switched her weapon to blade form and stared right back at the monster. Hopefully she wouldn't have another dizzy spell while she was being attacked. Slamming her tail into the ground the monster roared and charged forward mouth open and ready to attack.

Alistair pulled her weapon back and was ready to swing it around when another very familiar roar shattered the air and a shadow loomed over the both of them. The female abiorugu looked up as a massive azure rathalos swooped down from the sky, wings and feet talons extended. Big Blue was here and he was _furious_. He slammed into her side so hard it knocked her clean over and sent her skidding away. Big Blue stayed on top of her and took a step back only to dip his head down and grab the abiorugu's neck just behind her large bony head crests. With a savage twist of his head he killed her before she could even look to see who her attackers were.

Alistair quickly turned around and saw Amai quickly running away as Scarlet, the pink rathian swooped down and killed the male abiorugu in the same manner. Stepping back Scarlet circled around the fallen monster to make sure it was really dead. Then she and Big Blue both looked up at the last remaining abiorugu who immediately froze under the attention of both flying wyverns. He turned and tried to run, but his leg was still partially paralyzed from Jasper's attack so there was little chance of him making a smooth escape. Scarlet jumped into the air and with a few flaps of her wings landed in front of the monster. The male skidded to a stop and tripped over his feet trying to back up only to have Big Blue land right behind him.

"Let's go!" Alistair shouted and Seiva quickly turned back to the others and ushered them down the road. Rain paused long enough to put the hatchlings up on Seiva's back. Then both she and Aureus hurried down the road as the lagiacrus stayed between them and other fighting monsters behind them.

Thankfully Big Blue and Scarlet were too busy with the last male abiorugu to pay attention to them. After all they were likely familiar with who Seiva was and would know that he was no threat to their hatchlings. Ivory Lagiacrus may come pretty far inland, but flying wyvern hatchlings just weren't on the menu. Hunters like Alistair and Amai could be a threat, but not nearly as big a danger as a pack of abiorugu were. Plus the mine they were heading towards was in a direction heading away from their territory. A territory they were already outside of. If they could manage to get a fair distance away while the angry couple was distracted then they should hopefully be in the clear.

Jasper darted back and forth nervously as he ran alongside them. The way he opened and closed his wings suggested that he wanted to fly away, but the glances he kept giving Alistair showed that he was not about to get on the wrong side of the "mighty hunter" as he apparently had started calling her.

"Amai you stay in front and lead the way. I'll stay in back just in case either of those two decide to come back and check us out," Alistair said as she motioned for Amai to keep going. Thankfully the young hunter didn't object. Seiva followed behind her as they rounded the bend. Hanging back Alistair kept her weapon out as he trailed behind the group just in case they needed protection. It was probably more of a risk since she was still dizzy and a bit unsteady on her feet, but thankfully Amai hadn't noticed that yet.

A few seconds later a few loud roars and twin explosions shook the ground. Looking back Alistair saw a thin trail of smoke starting to curl up from somewhere in the trees. Thankfully it didn't last long and the faint smoke soon faded away as she watched. The last thing they needed was to start a forest fire.

However, the sound of wings flapping told Alistair that it was too soon to relax just yet. As she suspected a few short moments later both Big Blue and Scarlet appeared over the trees and circled around before heading right towards her. Alistair had already stopped and let the other get ahead, now she took her weapon back out and switched it to blade form in case she needed to attack faster. A confused and questioning growl came from behind her and she knew that Seiva had looked back and realized that she wasn't following.

"Alistair?"

Rain. Even from this distance she could hear the panic in her friend's voice.

Alistair closed her eyes as she felt the guilt gnawing away at her gut. While Rain tried her best not to say anything she still worried about a lot about Alistair's safety as a hunter. After that plesioth and the resulting trip to the hospital she had been more anxious than ever. Plus she was unquestionably going to be more sensitive with Storm just dying a couple days ago. Rain must be going crazy with worry.

Taking a deep breath, Alistair forced herself to concentrate. Deal with that later. Deal with the angry wyvern couple now. Unfortunately the earth tilted beneath her again and Alistair stumbled and once again was forced to close her eyes until the dizziness passed. She had taken a much harder hit then she first thought.

Big Blue and Scarlet got to her in seconds and swooped down to land. Big Blue pulled up at the last minute and touched down on the road like a feather dropping to the ground. Scarlet however landed with a crash and a fierce rumble. Alistair heard the pink rathian make a step but her mate rumbled and she stopped with a curious gurgle.

"You remember me don't you?" Alistair said as Big Blue stared right at her, his gaze meeting hers with unwavering recognition. Scarlet had been ready to attack and kill her, but Big Blue still remembered their first encounter.

_He knows what a hunter is and what they can do. He also knows that I didn't go after him before and I didn't go into his territory. Not then and not since that happened either,_ Alistair thought as she kept a firm grip on her weapon, but instead of keeping it up she held it with the tip pointed down at the ground. While rathalos were very territorial and those with hatchlings even more so, they tended to calm down as they got older. The more years they lived the smarter they became and Big Blue had been around for a long time. He was at least 30 or 40 years old. Maybe older. Still that was barely middle aged for an adult rathalos since they were known to live up to 200 years when undisturbed.

Big Blue had pushed her before and she had pushed back, but hadn't attacked him. Now he wanted to test her again. Alistair just hoped that she was up to it. If she showed a moment of weakness than that could easily change everything.

Hissing, Big Blue stepped forward and stopped but Alistair held her ground. So he took another step forward and stopped putting him about fifteen feet away from her. He took another step forward and this time Alistair snapped her weapon up and growled right back at him as deeply as she could manage. It sounded rather pathetic next to his, but Big Blue did tilt his head slightly which showed that he was listening.

" _Back off_ ," Alistair warned as she leveled the weapon at him. Big Blue's eyes narrowed slightly and he continued to hold her gaze even as he took a slow, long, and very deliberate step back. Once he did so, Alistair took a step back and to the side away from Scarlet who was still hovering there behind her back. When the azure rathalos took another step backwards she did the same thing again moving a little farther away from both wyverns.

When Big Blue suddenly charged forward, Alistair raised her weapon again and closed the distance so they could meet halfway. Now they were less than three feet apart and she could both see and smell the faint smoke wafting out from his mouth. Standing firm, Alistair raised her weapon until the tip was pressing into the bottom of his neck. One swift motion and he would be dead before he could breathe out a single spark of fire. She knew that and Big Blue knew that as well, that's exactly why he had come this close. A sharp wave of nausea rose up in her throat, but she forced it down and kept her gaze even.

_Feeling me out are you?_ Alistair thought as she kept her weapon in place. Meanwhile she could hear Scarlet hissing and throwing a fit but whenever she tried to jump in and attack, Big Blue would growl and warn her off. This was just between him and her.

"If you don't attack me then I won't attack you either," Alistair whispered as Big Blue slowly lifted his head up off her weapon and backed off. For every step he took away from her she took a step back and slowly lowered her weapon as well. She suspected the azure rathalos already knew she wouldn't attack, but just wanted to confirm it by testing her. Alistair watched as Big Blue rose his body up higher and looked down the road towards Seiva who immediately growled and snapped his jaws warningly and curled his tail tighter around Rain, Aureus and the babies.

Big Blue snorted at the display and turned back to look down on Alistair who glared right back at him. After a moment he rumbled and growled something to Scarlet who stared at him and then at Alistair in an expression so full of shock it was unmistakable. When she narrowed her eyes, Big Blue barked sharply at her and she sniffed and jumped up into the air and circled around over Alistair before flying away. Moments later the azure rathalos followed after her and both of them soon faded into the distance as they headed back towards their own territory line.

Sighing in relief, Alistair relaxed and folded her weapon and strapped it to her back again, but not before she got dizzy enough that she had to double over and force down a strong wave of nausea. Never a dull moment around here that's for sure. Big Blue shouldn't be that much of a problem in the future as long as they showed the proper amount of respect and stayed away from his territory. Scarlet however seemed more like the "kill first, ask later" type. They would have to be careful whenever she was in the area. For now though they could get back to their reason for being out here in the first place which was to get to the nearby mine.

"Big flame wings finish big pack eater. Make her dead. Not bother their little flame's any more. Mighty hunter not want to fight more. Just protect her own little flame wings. Big blue flame understand and fly away," Jasper's voice was so close in her ear that Alistair jumped and turned to glared up at him as he hovered over her left shoulder. "What?" Jasper asked with a flutter of his wings when he saw her accusing look. "Want help? Bring help. Do good thing? Not eat pretty peco now?" he asked lowered his head and looking at her hopefully. As much as she tried to fight it, Alistair couldn't help the smile that spread across her face at that question.

"No, I'm not going to eat you. You did very well," Alistair said and Jasper chirped and wiggled with happiness.

"Pretty peco stay now. Mighty hunters might need Jasper's help again," he added puffing his chest out with pride as he lifted his head and looked over to where Amai was standing. Alistair merely hummed at that declaration. After all he had been all ready to abandon them and fly away before this fight began, but evidently he was feeling braver now that he had seen Alistair and Amai flex their muscles.

"Of course. I don't know what we'd ever do without you," Alistair said as Ginouji and Akairo came running back over to her wings spread as they scampered down the road. Crouching down she opened her arms as they ran up to her and snuggled into her chest. Ginouji in particular was keening and buried his head into her neck.

"Don't worry I'm just fine," Alistair said reassuringly as she ran her hands up and down their sides to soothe them. Akairo's blue eyes were lit up with excitement but Ginouji stared at her with worry and concern. Likely remembering what had happened the last time she had faced off against a monster. Taking his head in her hands, Alistair looked into his eyes.

"I'm fine. No need to worry. Okay little man?" she said and then kissed the top of his head and then Akairo's as well when he started to fuss. Ginouji let out a small cheep and licked her nose. However, he wasn't the only one who was worried about her. Looking up, Alistair tried to get a good look at Rain but Seiva had his head lowered and she had her arms around him. If there was one thing Alistair know about her best friend it was that she preferred to show her feelings in private or one on one if possible. While there were always exceptions more often than not she preferred some measure of privacy before she would open up about how she felt. Alistair knew that and tried her best to respect that. After all she felt the same way.

Standing up, Alistair waited as Amai ran over and grinned at her followed by Aureus behind her.

"Wow! Now that's what I call a good fight! That was so..." Amai stopped and her excited expression dropped down into a frown as Alistair closed her eyes and swayed slightly. "Whoa you need to sit down!" she said reaching out and grabbing her arm to steady her. Seiva, Rain, and Aureus had come over now as well and the large lagiacrus lowered his head and stared at Alistair with his bright red eyes.

"What? Stop looking at me like that!" Alistair's words might have had more emphasis if she didn't have to trail off and grab her helmet again. Her head was really starting to pound now with a headache. Then Jasper, who was still strutting around with his chest out decided to put in his two zenni.

"Big hungry monster send big spikes flying. Mighty hunter get hit bad, bad. Heard big SNAP from helmet crunch," Jasper stated with a bob of his head. He just looked so proud of himself for being helpful and speaking up too. Alistair however, twitched angrily and wanted to smack him with her weapon. He just had to go and open his big beak didn't he?

Ginouji and Akairo looked back and forth between Jasper and their mother curiously. Aureus was giving her a strange look as well.

"Maybe you could ride on Seiva's back or something for the rest of the way. It's only a few minutes now to the mine. We certainly don't want to aggravate your head injury," Aureus said as Rain walked closer and carefully took the helmet off Alistair's head. When she lowered the helmet she could see a long jagged groove in the top left side dangerously close to her eye. One of the abiorugu's tail spikes must have sliced through the side of her helmet after bouncing off her switch-axe when she brought it up to block the attack.

"Big spike come close! Mighty hunter very fast! Use weapon and WOOSH!" Jasper clapped his jaws loudly making everyone jump as he bounced and whirled around in excitement. "Knock big spikes far away! Not get eyes taken out and go blind forever," he added without a second thought as he lowered his head and hovered over Rain's shoulder to take a closer look at Alistair's helmet. The words however immediately made Rain's face turn pale and she ran her fingers ran across the groove in the helmet and the hole it had made through the metal and the tough monster hide.

Still silent, Rain reached up and gently felt the left side of Alistair's head. Alistair could distinctly feel a rather sizable knot starting to form where Rain's gently probing fingers were.

"Ohhh that looks so nasty!" Amai said with a grimace of disgust as Rain pulled her hand away and quietly stared at the light coating of blood on her fingers.

"Nasty hit leave nasty bruise," Jasper hesitated for a moment and tilted his head so he could get a better look at Alistair's head. "Ewwww, head hit bleed lots and lots. If get dizzy and fall then no bleed nasty stuff on pretty peco feathers," he added with a hesitant step away from her.

"You do realize you're not helping, right?" Alistair snapped and for the first time Jasper blinked and looked down at Rain whose face was pale and her fingers were gripping the helmet to her chest so tightly her fingers were white.

"Jasper go watch for danger now," he stated and whirled around to run away down the road where he made a big show of scanning the sky and surrounding forest for danger. Aureus had been standing there but had backed up once Jasper crowded back in. He also looked rather uncomfortable as if he were unsure of whether he should back come over or keep his nose out of it. Plus Seiva was still giving him some rather suspicious looks so the young researcher looked all too happy when Jasper went running past.

"I'll make sure he doesn't bring any more monsters down on our heads," Aureus said with undisguised relief before hurrying after the crimson qurupeco.

Grimacing again, Alistair rubbed her head and closed her eyes as a headache pounded. Rain had always worried about Alistair's safety but now after Storm's death?

Alistair reached out ready to try and reassure her when another dizzy spell hit and the world tilted around her again.

* * *

One second Alistair was reaching out to Rain and the next thing Amai knew the woman was on the ground and her switch axe was falling down with her.

"Alistair!" Amai hurried to her side and crouched down next to the fallen hunter. Behind her she heard something drop and then Rain was right beside her. Gently she cradled Alistair's head with one hand and then slapped her rather hard with the other. A split second later, Alistair's eyes popped open and stared out unfocused for a moment before she blinked rapidly and then frowned slightly.

"Ow."

Rain let out a nervous laugh and helped Alistair sit up. Leaning closer Amai watched as she grimaced and grabbed the left side of her head.

"Wait... why am I on the ground?" Alistair asked as Rain pulled her hand away and checked her head wound again. It had started bleeding again. It looked like Rain wanted to examine it more closely but her efforts were hampered when Akairo and Ginouji came running over and shoved themselves into Alistair's face crying and nuzzling her with worry. Even Raiden walked over and butted Alistair's foot with his head.

"Okay, okay give your momma some breathing room," Amai said as she grabbed both rathalos babies and dragged them backwards, one under each arm. Both of them whined and complained about the separation but they stopped struggling when Rain helped Alistair back up to her feet. Still she kept her arm around the hunter's waist in case she had another dizzy spell.

"That's it. I was trying to keep my mouth shut since hunting is your job and all but this is the last straw. You are riding on Seiva's back for the rest of the trip. To the mine _and_ back home where you will lay down while I make sure it doesn't get worse," Rain insisted pointing her finger at the lagiacrus who was still watching them quietly. Amai saw Alistair's eyes slide over her way in a silent plea for help.

"Oh no you don't. Don't look at me. You should know how dangerous head injuries can be," Amai responded as she reached down and picked up Raiden who thumped his tail on the ground happily. Ginouji and Akairo took the opportunity to run back and crowd back around Alistair's legs.

"Back up both of you. You'll get your chance to curl up with her soon enough," Rain said and both of them reluctantly took a step back. "Now you are going to relax on Seiva's back, Amai is going to watch for danger like the hunter that she is, and Aureus is going to make sure Jasper doesn't do anything else stupid and bring a new horde of monsters down on our heads," Rain added and Alistair sighed lightly but didn't object as she was lead over to Seiva who curled his head back and helped Alistair up onto his back. Once that was done Rain picked up Akairo and then Ginouji and put them both up on Seiva's back before climbing up herself.

Amai looked down at Raiden and the zinogre puppy stared back up at her before whining and stretching his head out towards the Ivory Lagiacrus.

"Fine you can go too, just wait a sec," Amai said as the puppy pulled even more. "I said wait!" she cried out as Raiden nearly fell out of her arms. Hurrying over she ran up to Seiva's side and the lagiacrus tilted his head and nodded to his back. "Thanks, Seiva. You're the best!" she said gratefully as she stretched up. Rain reached down and grabbed the puppy. When she put him down he immediately ran up to the base of Seiva's neck and sat down there with his eyes glowing in excitement.

"I'll hold onto Alistair's weapon for now," Amai shouted as she ran back and picked it up. As soon as she did so she wished she hadn't. How anyone managed to swing this thing around was beyond her.

"You okay down there? You had better not damage it," Alistair sternly demanded but quickly received a sharp look from Rain who forced her to lay back down again in her lap.

"Let's just hurry up and get there already. We've had more than enough excitement for one day," Rain said as she scanned the skies above them. Seiva snorted in agreement and started walking.

Jasper noticed and hopped around in excitement.

"Leaving now? Where we going? Mighty hunter need me watch over tiny flame wings and little sparky fuzz?" Jasper asked with a shake of his tail feathers. Amai couldn't help but grin when she saw Aureus sigh and rub his forehead wearily.

"Why don't you fly above us and keep watch? We don't want anything to sneak up on us..." Aureus suggested and Jasper perked up at that.

"Mighty peco keep sharp eye out for big toothy things!" he squawked before spreading his wings and jumping up into the air to take off.

"Now that we have that taken care of let's try and salvage what's left of this trip shall we?" Aureus suggested as the crimson qurupeco circled them from above singing and whistling a happy tune all the while. He looked tired and Amai didn't blame him now maybe they could finally get back to their whole reason for being out here in the first place.

Shifting the giant switch axe slightly, Amai started walking down the road after the others.


	21. White Spirit

 

They had made it to the mine and were now sitting inside a small one story wooden building that served as the main office for mine operations. A larger sprawling living complex was situated farther down a hard packed road. Jasper had gotten bored and flown off to find more interesting entertainment, but Alistair didn't doubt that they would be seeing him again soon. Seiva had curled up and proceeded to take a nap while the humans took care of their business here. Aureus was outside talking to the head of the mine operations while Amai stood watch with the babies.

Inside the office building, Alistair had grabbed a seat and was sitting patiently while Rain took care of the cut on the side of her head. To be more accurate she had been forced into a seat by her very worried and clearly stressed out best friend; she just hadn't objected very much.

"Thank you," Alistair said as Rain held her hair back and wiped the blood away with a damp cloth.

"I'm just glad it's not serious. You did well out there," Rain replied keeping her eyes focused on the cut as she cleaned it out. "I'll tape this bandage on and then we'll be done," she added putting the washcloth down and picking up a soft medical pad that she then pressed to Alistair's head.

"Hold this in place for a second."

Alistair did as she was told as Rain grabbed some medical tape to hold the pad down and keep it from falling off.

"There you should be good to go," Rain's voice was tight and she hadn't looked at Alistair since they got here. Reaching over Alistair grabbed her hand and when her friend finally looked up she could see her stubbornly holding back tears.

"Rain... I'm okay. _Physically_ I'm okay," Alistair stated knowing that wasn't the only concern here. "Sure I could be triggered by something and have an attack an hour from now," she said honestly, "Mentally I can't say, but physically? Physically I'm fine. My muscles are a bit sore because I'm tense and I could really use a nice massage, but aside from that? I'm okay. I'll be okay," she added giving Rain's hand a firm squeeze to reassure her. Rain took a deep breath and let it out slowly before stubbornly wiping the tears away from her eyes.

"I know, I know. I... I'm just really sensitive right now because of what happened to Storm. I'm just glad you and Amai are all right," Rain said and gripping her hand tightly before Alistair let go and stood up. Her helmet would need a repair which could take anywhere from a few hours to a couple days depending on how backed up the armory was in town. That however was a relatively minor issue and could wait until tomorrow.

"Come on. Let's get this over with and get back home. I've faced enough peril for one day," Alistair said as her fingers drifted up to the square bandage on her head. To be more accurate she tried to touch it only to have her hand slapped down by Rain who frowned at her.

"Quit that! I'm trying to play the supportive and understanding best friend here but if you keep that up I _will_ order Seiva to watch you like a halk getting ready to swoop down on a meal," Rain threatened sternly and the look on her face said that she wouldn't have any problem following up on her words either. Alistair knew her friend would be more then happy to come through on her threat so she put her hand down and tried ignore the urge to rub the bandage. Despite her personal worries, Rain was a very understanding friend when it came to her job as a hunter, but she still had her limits and Alistair knew better than to cross them.

"Well come on let's go see how Aureus is doing," Alistair said evading the issue. Standing up she twitched slightly as sharp sting of pain flashed across the side of her head. The way Rain's lips pressed together clearly said that she had seen the action and her eyes carried a firm warning.

"What? Stop looking at me like you're going to put me under house arrest or something," Alistair objected as she backed up and put a hand on the door leading out of the office.

"Don't tempt me," Rain fired back and Alistair did roll her eyes this time and opened the door. Both headed outside and down the short steps. Seiva was yawning and blinking his eyes sleepily as he woke up from his short nap.

All around them the forest had been pushed back and the ground opened up. After turning off the main road they had come down the side road into the mine. It sloped down until dirt and rock walls started to rise above them leaving the forest three or four stories above their heads. Down at the end was a large crossroad. There was a mine shaft straight ahead of them with a wide road leading off to the left and another heading off to the right with another mineshaft visible in the distance. Next to the main office building there was a sign post directing workers to different buildings and other mine shafts. Two duramboros were visible as well. One was helping to drag a huge wagon filled with broken rocks down the road and another was standing there in the middle of the road idly chewing on some branches while a small group of men stood around and pointed up to a huge boulder that was sticking dangerously far out over the road.

Amai and Seiva however were next to the office building waiting for Alistair to finish being bandaged up. Amai had gotten away with only a few minor scrapes and had declined medical attention. Now she had a smile on her face as Raiden stood atop Seiva's back wagging his tail and panting in excitement as he looked out over the mine. Akairo and Ginouji were being more cautious and were standing next to Seiva's side and staring at the duramboros in rapt fascination. Just down the road, Aureus was talking animatedly to a man with a thick mustache and beard. He was covered in dirt and his arms bulged with thick muscle. Thrown over his shoulder was a pick axe and he was puffing away at a large cigar that was stuck in the side of his mouth. Upon seeing them standing there the man glanced over and nodded simply before turning his attention back to Aureus who was dwarfed by the larger man.

"Hey, how's your head doing?" Amai asked as Alistair and Rain walked over. Immediately she lifted her hand to touch it but then remembered Rain's warning and dropped her hand back down to her side instead.

"It stings but I'll be okay. What's Aureus doing?" Alistair asked with a nod over at the young man who was pointing their way and waving his hands around.

"That's the head overseer of the mine and evidently Aureus told him we'd be coming a few days go. Then they started talking about iron ore, armor stone, the chemical make up of each one and different strata levels around here..." Amai made a face and waved her hand dismissively. "Everything started going way over my head and your little ones were not happy being so close to a strange man and the duramboros were scaring them so I figured it was best to just come back over here," she looked down as both rathalos scrambled over and happily chirped and pressed against Alistair's legs.

Crouching down, Alistair wrapped her arms around the young rathalos and then smiled as both Akairo and Ginouji nuzzled her face and neck with happy coo's. Since her first visit to the psychologist she had started opening up and being more affectionate with the two babies and it was starting to make a big difference in how both of them responded to her. The two rathalos had already been attached to her but now they practically hung on every word.

"Yes, momma is all better now," Alistair said affectionately as Ginouji licked her cheek and pressed his head up under her chin. "Okay, okay, don't knock me over. You guys are getting bigger every day," she said giving both of them another rub under the wings before standing up. They were growing like weeds. Even over the course of a week or so the difference in size from when they had first hatched was obvious. Although Ginouji was just a little bit bigger than his brother and was likely to grow bigger than him.

Alistair stood up just as Aureus came running back over to them with a broad smile and a slip of paper in her hands.

"I've got everything set up! The mine produces some good iron ore, but it also ends up with a lot of smaller pieces that aren't really good enough for high quality commercial use. These get sold off to merchants in town or transported elsewhere. He agreed to deliver a bag of iron ore and another filled with armor stone pieces to Rain's house twice a month... for a price that is," Aureus added handing the slip of paper over. Taking it, Alistair looked closer and saw that it was an itemized receipt, but instead of a price at the bottom there was just a long pen mark.

"The mine overseer said that he'll select some of the better pieces to give you. So the iron quality will be about the same as what you would get at the market. Maybe a little lower but still more than good enough to suit Ginouji's needs. The armor stone around here isn't really high quality stuff which is why they focus more on iron but they do have it and he'll give you the best he can get," Aureus paused and looked over his shoulder but the mine overseer was already walking back down the road towards the mine shaft closest to them.

"He heard about Storm's death and how you stood up for him at his funeral service," Aureus eyes cut over to Rain who nodded and looked around in thought as he trailed off and waited for her to say something.

"We primarily find and sell old artifacts or rare treasures that we find at the bottom of the ocean, but if a person needs passage or a delivery made somewhere along our path then we almost always help out. We've transported goods for the mine here more then a few times," Rain commented. "We've worked together for years but I still find myself surprised by just how many people have been helped by him... by us," she added and turned away as Seiva lowered his head and gently touched her shoulder with his jaw. He rumbled and grunted to her and Rain smiled and rubbed his jaw.

"Yeah, I miss him too, but at least he's able to help us now. He would have liked that," Rain added as Aureus shifted a little uncomfortably and cleared his throat.

"Umm... yeah, so the mine overseer agreed to make the first few months of deliveries for free. After that he'll sell it to you for a quarter of the price. He does still have to make a profit after all," Aureus explained to her. Alistair nodded at that and carefully folded the receipt and slipped it into a small space in her chest armor.

Before anyone could say anything else a loud BOOM echoed through the air and shook the ground they were standing on followed by a thunderous explosion. A deep rumbling roar shook them to their bones and the mine workers ducked and looked around in confusion.

* * *

Amai stumbled as the explosion nearly knocked her off her feet. She saw Alistair fall down to one knee and reach her arms out. Both Ginouji and Akairo ran back to her arms not doubting for a moment that their mother would protect them from whatever danger existed. Amai too looked back at Seiva and saw him carefully lowering his head. A spark of electricity jumped from his body to Raiden and the zinogre let out a small yip and jumped down from his back. As soon as he found his balance he scampered back to her and pawed at her legs wanting to be picked up.

"Don't worry I won't let anything hurt you," Amai promised as she picked up her puppy. She could feel him shaking. Aureus stumbled and straightened back up just as quickly.

"What in the world...?" Aureus asked looking down the road as Seiva rumbled and immediately got defensive. The ivory lagiacrus' back spikes lit up with electricity and his head hovered next to Rain's ready to protect her. He rumbled and stalked forward as they all looked down towards the mine entrance to see what was going on. Only it wasn't the entrance to the mine that was the problem.

One of the duramboros had been in the road idly chewing on some tree branches within its reach while the mine workers argued over a boulder stuck in the wall on one side of the road. It was bigger then the duramboros itself and hanging out over the road rather precariously. But now large chunks of it were strewn all over the road and the duramboros had its back and side facing the giant hole where the boulder had been. Evidently it had smashed the enormous rock. Now a giant cloud of dust had risen up and was billowing out all across the road obscuring their vision. The duramboros was the only one visible and it was roaring and backing up, shaking its head back and forth as if fending something off.

"What was that explosion? Was it a gas pocket?" Amai asked turning back to Rain and Alistair. She didn't know a tremendous amount about mining operations but they did have some mines up in the cold northern mountains where native tribes such as hers lived. Zystae, where Alistair used to live was a little farther south in a little more temperate climate and it was the biggest mining city around. Aside from cave dwelling monsters and cave ins, gas pockets, gas leaks and the threat of explosions from hitting or igniting one without warning were the biggest dangers.

Seiva had walked forward angling his body so that he was sheltering them but now he glanced back and snorted pointedly and chomped his jaw. He swung his tail in an arc and then darted his head forward with a hiss and an arc of electricity and clacked his jaws rapidly.

Amai looked over at Rain who pursed her lips.

"Seiva says the duramboros hit the rock and then something broke out quickly after that. It must be a monster of some kind," Rain pointed out as a large shape moved from within the cloud of smoke. A loud rattling sound rang through the air and Amai frowned and turned to Alistair to ask if she knew what kind of monster it was, but she was still down on one knee with the rathalos babies. Aureus turned and held a hand out to stop them.

"I'll go see if I can get a bit closer and figure out what kind of monster it is. Seiva will protect you guys back here," Aureus said before running off after the mine overseer who was in a full run and heading towards the confusion. When he was gone she turned back to Alistair to see how she was.

"Alistair?" Amai asked seeing the woman's face. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her breathing had quickened to the point where she was almost hyperventilating. For a moment she just stared at the young woman in confusion before her brain clicked.

_Of course... the explosion must have triggered a memory from before. From what happened in Zystae when the gravios attacked part of the city as a territorial move,_ Amai realized chewing on her lower lip as she glanced back at the dissipating cloud of smoke and saw the outline of a large and very long monster.

Rain had noticed as well and had crouched down next to Alistair.

"Alistair? Alistair?" she asked softly and the hunter grimaced and shook her head. Her body was starting to shake.

"Can't... can't... focus. Explosion... the gravios," Alistair stuttered out the words through gritted teeth and the baby rathalos whimpered and nuzzled her. She was starting to lose herself again in the memory and feelings of what had happened to her before.

For a moment all Amai could do was stare at her uncomfortably. Sure Alistair had been triggered during the battle with the plesioth but she had managed to keep it together until it was over. Besides Amai didn't know what was going on at the time. Alistair had also been troubled at the beach when she saw Sakala injured and paralyzed, but Amai had run to get her psychologist so he could help her before she had a full-blown attack. This was the first time she had really seen Alistair triggered and go into a PTSD attack right in front of her and understood what was happening. She had no idea it could happen so quickly.

Shaking her head, Amai took a deep breath and tried to focus.

"Just take a deep breath... look at me... hey, look at me okay?" Rain said and with obvious effort Alistair lifted her head to meet her friend's gaze. Her eyes darted around and she took a deep breath and let it out shakily.

"Remember what your psychologist told you, where are you now?" Rain pressed and Alistair shivered and looked back at her.

"In... back in..." Alistair stopped and shook her head. "No... just... just a memory. I'm not in Zystae. It's just a memory. I'm at the mine.. still at the mine... there was... explosion," she took another deep breath and gripped both Ginouji and Akairo tighter. "There's a monster here... just like before. It's going to attack us," Alistair began and then stopped and grimaced again. She was trying to fight the memory. Trying to stay focused and remember that it was in the past, but her brain clearly was not making it easy for her.

"The monster is coming... someone... someone has to fight it," she said breathlessly and Amai sucked in a breath this time. Alistair wanted to help but in addition to her head injury she was currently in no condition to fight whatever it was in that cloud of dust. Besides the duramboros didn't seem very eager to go charging into battle either judging from the way it was still taking slow steps backwards away from the rattling sound. She was the only hunter here. It was up to her to fight this monster and protect the mine workers.

"Don't worry I'll take care of this," Amai said and Alistair blanched and looked at her and then back at the dust cloud. A moment later she hung her head and nodded slowly. Frustration and anger were written all over her face but she didn't object or reach for her switch axe to try to fight anyway. This had to be hard on her. While Amai wasn't clued into everything going on in Alistair's life she was smart enough to see how much the woman loved being a hunter. What was happening to her right now must be the realization of her worst fears. The fear that one day her PTSD would affect her to the point where she couldn't fight and protect the people she cared about.

"Hey... a good hunter had to know their limits right? I'll take care of this. Just focus on keeping all the little ones safe," Amai offered and Alistair nodded slightly but kept her eyes on Ginouji and Akairo who were still wrapped up in her arms. She glanced over at Rain who just shook her head slightly and motioned for her to go on.

Reaching back Amai put a hand on the dual blades she had brought with her and then looked up at Seiva.

"I have an idea. See if you can attract Jasper again. He couldn't have gotten very far and a bolt of lightning shooting up into the sky is bound to bring him back," Amai said and the lagiacrus narrowed his red eyes at her. "Pretty please?" she amended and Seiva snorted in satisfaction and started charging electricity.

No more time to waste. Amai raced down the road towards as the second duramboros came stomping over roaring and slamming his tail down on the ground threateningly. Aureus was standing back away from the two duramboros and directing the mine workers on where to go for safety. Amai skidded to a stop next to him as the monster let out a loud hiss and lashed out from the cloud of dust. There was a flash of white, gray, and silver as the monster launched itself out and straight for the duramboros who snorted in surprise and hastily backed up. It's spine bristled with large bony plates and tusks jutted up from its bottom jaw. Hissing loudly it bounced off the duramboros' horns and then recoiled as the other monster turned around and swung its tail right at the creature's head. Ducking quickly, it snapped its jaws before pulling back into a tight coil. The plates up and down its body vibrated to create a loud rattling sound.

Amai could feel her hair standing on end as static electricity filled the air. A burst of light came from behind her followed by a thunderclap. Wincing she rubbed her ears and glanced back to see Seiva staring up at the sky. A moment later he sent up another burst of electricity. Hopefully Jasper hadn't gone too far away. They could use his help right now. Running up she slid to a stop next to Aureus.

"What is that thing?" Amai gasped staring at the creature. Once again she lamented her lack of knowledge about different monster species. Alistair had a fairly good knowledge of what monsters lived in what areas, but Amai only knew some of the most common ones that rookie hunters were cleared to fight against as well as all the ones native to her homeland in the mountains and surrounding tundra. Thankfully Aureus had no problem filling her in.

Aureus grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side as the monster whipped its tail around and slammed the plates together creating a deafening nose. Everyone cringed and covered their ears. Both duramboros crouched down and shook their heads at the noise. Once again the monster launched itself forward but this time it tried to go between the two duramboros and up the other side of the high sloping wall leading out of the mine and back into the forest. It was halted when both towering monsters roared and slammed their massive tails into the ground. That threatening display was more than enough to make the creature recoil, once again tightening its body into thick coils as its mouth snapped at them and it's plates rattled in warning.

"Najarala... I've never seen one in person before," Aureus said breathlessly his eyes wide as he let go of Amai. "And I've definitely never seen any reports of one that color. Usually they're green with yellow and red on the plates up and down their spine," he added analyzing the monster as it pressed back against the wall behind it. "Judging from its body it must have been hiding in a cave while it shed the scales and plates on its body. They do it once a year and it can take a couple of weeks from start to finish. They burrow underground and hide out in a burrow while they do it. That must be why it was it was there. The najarala was in there minding its own business when the duramboros busted through the back wall. The entrance must be somewhere in the forest beyond the mine," Aureus pointed out and Amai quickly cut him off.

"I have to do something. It doesn't want to fight. It just wants to escape. If they back off and give it enough room it'll run away," Amai pointed out as she tightened her grip on her dual blades. Both of them watched as the najarala snapped once again when one of the duramboros got too close. It was a stand off. They weren't going to let the monster get away and it clearly didn't want to attack them head on but it would if they got too close.

Amai was about to say something else when something crashed down beside her.

"Hey ho little hunter! Jasper see bright sparky light and come back! What need mighty peco for this time?"

Startled Amai whipped around and craned her neck back to see an all too familiar crimson qurupeco standing there staring down at her with angelic innocence and eager eyes.

"Would you stop doing that! Try to announce your arrival a little sooner next time instead of sneaking up on me!" Amai growled at him and Jasper gave her a hurt look and lowered his head so he could speak to her at eye level.

"Next time little human pay attention and get eyes checked. Not my fault tiny people ears don't work right," Jasper countered as he ruffled his wings and straightened up. Taking a deep breath Amai fought down her irritation and silently wondered how she had gone from hunting monsters to raising one and arguing with another.

"That monster down there is trying to get away but those duramboros won't let it. They're trying to keep themselves and the mine workers safe. I'm going to try and get everyone as far back as possible. Once that happens I need you to get that... white scaled monster to follow you into the surrounding jungle. Anywhere in the jungle so long as its far away from here and away from people," Amai said in a rush and Jasper just stared at her, blinking his eyes very slowly. For a moment she thought that her words had gone over his head. Surpassed his impressive but limited monster intelligence. Straightening up Jasper stared over at the large serpent wyvern and the two hulking duramboros keeping it cornered. Lowering his head again Jasper spoke.

"You make little people and green mountains back up. I get White Spirit to follow me into jungle. Far away from humans where is safe?" Jasper asked with a curious tilt of his head and Amai's brow furrowed at the term.

"White Spirit?" she asked glancing back over at the white and gray serpent wyvern. "You mean that monster down there?" she added wondering where the crimson qurupeco had picked that term up from. Jasper trilled and snapped his jaws a few times.

"No other white monsters here. Who you think I talking about?" Jasper's tone of chastisement and scorn was so obvious that Amai bristled and opened her mouth to object. "Sorry! No time! Must go help White Spirit find safe place!" he said suddenly before she could get a word out. With a wiggle of his tail and wings he went charging down the road towards the najarala. Amai glared at the fleeing bird and turned to Aureus who shook his head and waved her off.

"No time. I can tell you all about the White Spirit later. Those people need help now before that monster get's scared and attacks anyway," Aureus urged her. Amai didn't waste time acknowledging his words but instead sprinted the remaining distance down to where the three monsters were now in a stand-off.

Looking around she spotted the mine overseer standing a distance over to the left, keeping his men back away from danger. Problem was they weren't back nearly far enough. If one of the duramboros whipped their tail around and missed they could easily go flying over and land directly on them.

"The White Spirit is here! But why was it hiding in that burrow?" the mine overseer asked her and Amai wondered again at that title but she didn't have time to answer that question.

"No time. You have to get your men back and call off those duramboros," she explained to him motioning behind her. "That naja... um.. I mean the White Spirit is trying to escape but it feels trapped with those two standing there in front of it. Get your men all the way back up the road where my friend and ivory lagiacrus are. They'll be far enough away up there. While they do that get your duramboros to back up. Your men will be protected if something happens and the monster will have the room it needs to get away," Amai explained to him as Jasper took to the air and circled around above their heads waiting to do his part.

Not wasting time he shouted to his men and ordered them up the hill as fast as they could. While they were getting out of the way he turned back to Amai. The mine overseer pursed his lips and stroked his beard for a moment before speaking.

"And you're sure it will leave? The White Spirit will not be hurt in any way? You can promise that?" his question was firm and Amai hesitated unsure of what to say.

"There are never any promises when it comes to monster hunting, but I promise you that I don't want to fight it. Especially not with your duramboros at my back. I want to get it away from here just as badly as it wants to escape," Amai said instead and he frowned and nodded curtly.

"That will have to do. I hope this works hunter," he said before taking in a deep breath and putting his fingers in the corners of his mouth. Amai covered her ears just in time to block out the enormous whistle he made. As soon as the sound came out of his mouth both duramboros immediately lifted their heads and turned his way. One snorted and rumbled deeply. The mine overseer let out another sharp whistle followed by shorter ones of varying pitch. They must have been commands of some kind because both duramboros grumbled but slowly started to back up roaring and beating their tails against the ground in warning.

Hissing in return the white najarala started to slowly slide down the sloping side of the mine wall away from them. As it did so it kept their eyes firmly on the huge duramboros. As they moved farther away the serpent slid farther down the road rattling its plates loudly. It glanced down the road and flicked its tongue out as it shifted its eyes up to the swaying palm trees above it. Getting close but still not far enough. It wanted to run but wasn't convinced that it could turn it's back without being attacked. This is where Jasper came in.

"Let's go Jasper!" Amai shouted up to him and the qurupeco roared in acknowledgment and swooped down just over the najarala's head. Startled the monster coiled back again rattling louder than ever.

Jasper landed a fair distance away and wiggled his body. He let out a roar just like the serpent wyvern had and then lowered his head and imitated the monster's loud hissing. Was he just copying the sound it made? Or was he actually communicating with it?

Either way it worked. Jasper turned and dashed down the road shortly before turning and darting up the side of the mine wall. Stopping at the top he called and roared again. The najarala took one look at the duramboros who waved their horns at it and then turned and fled. Throwing itself to the ground it speed along with frightening speed and headed up the sides of the mine. Jasper hooted and vanished in between some bushes with the large white serpent following right along behind it. The sounds of its crashing flight could be heard getting farther and farther away and after a few tense moments one of the duramboros snorted and visibly relaxed.

Letting out a shaky breath Amai silently thanked Jasper. Hopefully he would actually lead it away from them and anyone else. It wouldn't help for them to burst out onto some other unsuspecting citizens.

_I did it. I actually did it!_ Amai thought as a grin burst across her lips. Quickly she tempered her excitement and reminded herself that she hadn't actually _done_ much of anything herself, but at least it worked and no one had gotten hurt. Looking down she realized that she was gripping her dual blades for dear life and carefully peeled her fingers off them and put them away.

_Now_ they could go home.

* * *

Alistair had never been so happy to get back to civilization in her life. The mine overseer had ordered one of his men to transport them back to Port Tanzia in a simple open wagon cart with benches set up in the back. Still it was a lot nicer then walking all the way back they safely back at Rain's house and Alistair had slipped out of her armor and into a far more comfortable shirt and sweatpants. All the babies had been fed and were now sleeping. Hungry and tired from the excitement of the day. Seiva was out back curled up and fast asleep as well.

More than anything Alistair wanted to just take her sleeping mediation crawl under the covers for the next few days. She was completely exhausted. Not only physically but mentally. First she had started slipping during the face off with Big Blue and Scarlet and then being triggered at the mine had wrecked her. She needed rest and quiet. Badly.

While she hated to admit it she knew she would have to go see her psychologist tomorrow for help. Otherwise she was going to risk having another serious mental break down and she couldn't afford that. It wasn't good for her own health and it wasn't good for Ginouji and Akairo. They were legally hers now, but if it was determined that she was mentally unfit then they could still be taken away from her. Besides if she didn't get her PTSD under better control it put her standing as a hunter at risk too. Even if she had more than enough money to live off of the fact that she had lost her position would be enough to warrant an evaluation of her adoption of two rathalos. Even if Aureus was nice he still had people above him that he had to answer to.

Today was the worst possible thing that could have happened. Her biggest fear was that she would have an attack, a trigger that kept her from doing her job. From fighting a monster or protecting someone. Today Amai had come up with a plan and handled things well, but what if she hadn't? What if something had gone wrong and that najarala had gotten scared and attacked? Amai was a good hunter, but she was still learning and trying to fight a monster while being underneath two angry and protective duramboros was practically a death sentence. Even if she had survived it wouldn't have been without sustaining serious injury first.

To put it more simply, Alistair was mentally exhausted, extremely depressed, and very discouraged with herself. She wanted to heal already. She wanted to move on with her life and close the hole in her heart. But her mind refused to let go of what happened. Even worse it forced her to relive those awful moments over and over. Nightmares at night, panic attacks when she tried to go to the market and remembered how the attack had come out of the blue. In broad daylight while she was shopping around for vegetables to cook with her 'welcome home' dinner. Mental triggers whenever there was an explosion or the smell of smoke in the air. Anxiety every time a crowd pressed against her just like it had at the market the day Zystae was attacked and partially destroyed by a gravios.

_I just want to be me again. Not a hollow shell constantly afraid of having a mental break down or a panic attack,_ Alistair thought with a heavy sigh as she dropped her head down into her arms.

Amai and Aureus were sitting at the kitchen table engrossed in a conversation about the white najarala they had seen today. Normally she would be fascinated to learn more about a monster like that and add the knowledge to her extensive mental library, but now she could only muster the strength to listen halfheartedly. Her mind was too worn out and her spirit too discouraged by what happened to pay full attention. Lifting her head she watched the two talk.

"So people... worship it?" Amai asked wrinkling her nose at the idea.

"Sort of. Depends on who you ask. Some call it special and hold it in high regard. Others do actually worship it as a sacred or holy spirit. A monster that should never be hunted or hurt by human hands," Aureus explained to her waving his hands around in excitement. "The white or more accurate the white, gray and silver, najarala is caused by recessive genes. It's more of a mutation then a true albino. So while they are very rare they have still been seen in these jungles around Port Tanzia for generations. They are always referred to by the term 'White Spirit' and even the Guild has forbidden hunters from killing them. It's just too rare to risk killing at the moment and they usually stay far enough away from people that it's not a problem anyway. Those who still keep to the old ways and live in more secluded areas of the jungle put out offerings for them and protect them while they grow up. They've developed a rather symbiotic relationship. To see one here is very unusual, but thanks to Jasper we shouldn't have to worry about it happening again," Aureus said excitement filling his voice.

Sighing, Alistair tuned them out and turned back around. She was slumped over with her arms crossed on one of the kitchen counters. Akairo and Ginouji were dead asleep in her room. Ginouji had put up a fuss until she found his favorite blanket and put it over him. Then he curled a head under his wing and went to sleep. Straightening up, Alistair turned and head down the short hallway leading to the back patio and lake. Being inside was starting to make her claustrophobic and give her a headache.

Once outside Alistair could see the glow from Shurika's body farther out in the water where it was deeper. Seiva was right up on the bank sleeping. His rumbling snores drifting through the air. It was a full moon tonight and a cloudless so there was more than enough light to see by.

Alistair walked over and sat down at the edge of the wooden patio, slumped over with her head in her hands. She could just barely make out the sound of Aureus and Amai talking inside but she just couldn't deal with it right now. Even being inside again was making her shaky. She needed her daily dose of medication but that was inside as well.

"You're going to hurt your back slouched over like that."

Alistair lifted her head at the soft tone and turned her head to see Rain walking over to her with two cups in her hand. One small cup and another larger clay mug.

"I measured out your medication for you," Rain said as she crouched down just behind her and put both mugs down. She opened her palm to show a few small pills and gave her the small cup of water to wash them down with. Nodding silently, Alistair took them and grimaced at the taste as she put them in her mouth and swallowed them down. Putting the cup down on her other side she then accepted the mug from Rain. She closed her eyes as the sweet smell of hot chocolate with just a hint of citrus and berry filled her nose.

"Thank you," Alistair said softly and she took a slow sip savoring the taste of it as Rain shifted position and sat down on the edge of the patio beside her. They sat in silence for a while before she spoke up again.

"You okay?" Rain asked gently and after a moment Alistair somberly shook her head. "Are you going to _be_ okay?" she asked instead. This time Alistair hesitated and didn't answer for a long time. Her hands tightened around the mug and she stared at it in her lap instead.

Rain's eyes softened and she lifted her arm inviting her closer. Sliding down a bit Alistair curled up against her best friend's side and rested her head on Rain's shoulder with heavy sigh. Closing her eyes she enjoyed the peaceful moment as Rain slowly rubbed her back.

"I _want_ to be okay. I _want_ to get better. I _want_ to heal and move past this... but there are times when I doubt that it's ever going to happen. When I doubt that it's even possible anymore," Alistair softly and opened her eyes again as Rain's arm tightened around her.

"You'll get there. It'll take time and it's not going to be easy, but you'll get there. I can't even imagine how frustrating this must be for you but it will get better. It's just going to take work and patience to get there. I have faith in you," Rain assured her. Alistair gave a small bitter laugh and lifted her head up.

"Well at least someone does," she muttered drinking more of the hot chocolate Rain had prepared for her. "While I do like not having to suffer from nightmares every night, I don't like depending on medication to help me get there. Then there's the side effects. I may get a good night's sleep but I wake up the next morning sluggish and fighting to pull my thoughts together," Alistair said with a heavy sigh already dreading how foggy headed she was going to be for a few hours tomorrow morning.

"We'll talk to your psychologist about it tomorrow. The hospital prescribed your medication not him. Maybe he has better method for helping you to deal with your sleep trouble," Rain suggested and Alistair furrowed her brow in thought.

"I hadn't thought about that. I'll have to bring it up to him tomorrow," Alistair honestly admitted as she drank down most of her hot chocolate and dropped her head back down on her best friend's shoulder. "Thanks for helping me through this. You don't have to do this," she added softly and Rain scoffed audibly at that.

"What kind of friend would I be if I wasn't around when you needed me the most? You can't just abandon someone because things got more difficult or more complicated ," Rain said firmly, "You're the one who taught me that," she added and Alistair could hear a clear note of embarrassment in her voice. Lifting her head she stared at Rain in surprise.

"Me? How did I do that?" Alistair questioned. The moonlight was bright enough that she could see Rain blushing. Rather hard in fact.

"Well I mean..." Rain stopped and fumbled around with her words. "Just the fact that you're okay with me being... being gay... and now with what I just told you the other day. I mean... I haven't even told Storm about that. He always thought I was just too worried about what people would think to ever get involved with anyone. I was always too afraid of the truth getting out to tell him otherwise. Now I wish I had been honest with him," she admitted but then shook her head.

"Trust me Alistair... just the fact that you're still here at all means everything to me. If I can't support you now after all the ways that you've helped me... even just emotionally... it wouldn't be right. I wouldn't feel right," Rain stopped and shook her head. "I'm not going to leave you. Even if you do nearly give me a heart attack when you stare down monsters like Big Blue today," she added raising an eyebrow.

Alistair managed a tiny smile but hid it behind the mug in her hands and finished her hot chocolate.

"Thanks. For everything. I'm hoping I can avoid any stunts like that again, but no promises," she said putting the mug aside and rubbing her eyes. Yawning widely she let her head fall to Rain's shoulder as the medication started to work on her.

"You had better not fall asleep on me," Rain warned and Alistair laughed lightly.

"Just let me rest my eyes for a minute," Alistair asked.

"A minute for you is going to turn into a few hours once that medication hits you," Rain reminded her.

"Carry me back to my room them. I don't want to get up," Alistair said stubbornly.

"Fine. Just don't start snoring or the deal is off," Rain added. Alistair closed her eyes and finally felt all of her stress slip away.


	22. Ties That Bind

 

Rain had gotten up to put Alistair's empty mug away in the sink. When she came back she found that her friend had taken over her spot. Most surprisingly though she was still awake. Now Alistair was sitting back against one of the wooden pillars connecting the floor of the patio to the roof and her legs were stretched out in front of her.. Alistair's eyes popped back open when she heard Rain's footsteps approaching. Rain cleared her throat loudly and Alistair pulled her legs back just long enough for her to sit down on the edge of the patio before promptly placing her feet down in Rain's lap.

"Are you comfortable enough now?" Rain asked raising an eyebrow curiously at the woman who smirked and settled back comfortably against the wooden post.

"Well, I _could_ use a foot massage," Alistair teased with a wiggle of her toes. If there was one thing Rain hated more than anything else it was bare feet anywhere close to her. She didn't even like touching her own feet. Alistair was seriously pushing the envelope and she knew it. Hence the wicked smirk on her face right now.

"You had better be so glad I feel sorry for you right now," Rain said wrinkling her nose in distaste. She frowned heavily at the offending limbs in her lap but didn't push them away. Alistair smiled and yawned again. Rain estimated that the huntress didn't have a whole lot of time left before her medication took full effect and she passed out where she was sitting. She looked like she was about to say something when the door behind them slid back and Raiden came bouncing out. Amai walked out looking sheepish.

"Sorry. I didn't want to interrupt but Raiden had to go," Amai said with a nod to the zinogre puppy who was currently sniffing over in stretch of grass for the perfect place to go to the bathroom. "Aureus just left. Said he'll be back in a couple days when the mine overseer sends over your first shipment of ore for Ginouji," she added watching over Raiden as he sniffed a flower and then tried to bite a firefly that fluttered by above his head. He had started imitating Akairo and Ginouji who thankfully had been house trained rather easily so there weren't many accidents inside the house so far. The only difference was that the puppy got distracted by everything that entered his vision whenever Amai took him out. Rain smiled at Amai's irritated look and motioned to the edge of the patio.

"It's fine. I don't mind if you stay. Raiden might be a while anyway with all these fireflies floating around," Rain pointed out drawing a weary sigh from Amai who muttered and went to sit down even as Raiden bounced around happily in the sand and grass.

"I left the door open a crack. Just in case Alistair's babies wake up and want to know where their momma is," she added pointing back to the door which was halfway open. Alistair looked over and got out half of a thank you before being interrupted with a yawn. Frowning slightly, Alistair mumbled something and rubbed her eyes.

"Rain? Can I ask you something? Before I fall dead asleep in a short while that is," Alistair asked switching subjects instead. Although the way her fingers played and fumbled around in her lap clearly showed her hesitation.

"Sure, but don't complain if you can't remember the answer in the morning," Rain warned her and Alistair snorted in response and looked out across the water. She stared at the glowing blue spot that marked the presence of Shurika who was sleeping under the surface there.

"Have you ever told your mom about how you feel?" Alistair asked hesitantly after a short but poignant moment of silence. Sighing heavily, Rain shook her head now.

"No. She had a hard enough time when I told her I was gay. I got dragged from one doctor to another having medication and herbal remedies shoved at me along with all sorts of other therapies to try and 'fix me.' I know she loves me and that she's only doing this because she's worried about me staying safe, but I wish she would stop and actually listen to what I have to say for once. I want her to respect me... and she can't even do that," Rain said, exasperated. "Everything I do is some personal attack or rebellion against her. I've never expected her to to jump for joy, just understand that I can't just flip a switch and change my mind," she grimaced at the thought and rubbed the side of her head wearily.

"I mean can you imagine what she'd do if I told her I wasn't interested in ever being intimate with someone but I still wanted to be in a relationship someday? She'd never get it. She's still holding onto the hope that I'll give her grandkids someday," Rain continued wearily. Looking up she stared at the starry night sky. Silence fell between them and no one said anything to break it.

Raiden had apparently finished going to the bathroom and now went running over to the edge of the water. He stared out at the spot where Shurika was and whined loudly before looking back at Amai who rolled her eyes and whistled to him. The zinogre whined some more and looked back out over the water before reluctantly skulking back over and laying down next to his adopted mother with a loud sigh. Clearly he was disappointed at the fact that his new hero wasn't around to play with.

"Don't get so down on yourself. You'd be perfect for... anyone," Alistair said suddenly. Rain turned to her in surprise and saw Alistair glancing up at her hesitantly.

"You think so?" Rain asked carefully. She had picked up on that hesitation. Alistair looked away, a light blush on her cheeks.

"Of course. You're... an incredible person," Alistair responded.

Amai cleared her throat loudly to break the tension in the air and Rain rolled her eyes.

"You don't have to stay out here you know. We were just fine before you walked out," Rain reminded her.

"Fine, fine I can take a hint," Amai said as she picked Raiden up. "Besides I have to get Raiden to bed anyway," she added haughtily before walking back inside.

Rain took the opportunity and distraction to pinch Alistair's feed making her flinch.

"Hey!"

"Don't hey me you put yourself at risk when you put your feet over here," Rain said unapologetically.

"I'm warning you," Alistair gave her a sharp look that was drastically undercut by how tired she looked. Rain snorted and coughed to try to hide her laughter but ended up sounding like she was choking on something instead.

"Oh that's it!" Alistair said and that was the only warning Rain got before a bare foot was thrust up under her nose. Shrieking in a very loud and shrill manner she shoved Alistair's leg away so hard she nearly knocked her over and off the edge of the patio completely.

"Ow! Geez, woman go easy on the invalid!"

"That's what you get for putting that nasty thing in my face. And you are not an invalid so don't pull that with me," Rain countered.

"If you broke a toe you're paying my hospital bills," Alistair griped as she frowned and flexed her toes to make sure they were all intact.

"Well maybe that will teach you not to do it again. I feel no sympathy for you," Rain shot back as Alistair yawned and rubbed her eyes. She climbed to her feet but stumbled and slipped dangerously close to the edge of the patio.

"Whoa there!" Rain darted forward and caught her around the waist before she could take a nose dive into the sandy grass below. It was only about a three-foot drop but still. No need to add another head injury to the list of current issues.

"I'm fine. I'm just... just..." Alistair's head dropped and her body sagged into Rain's arms suddenly as the sleep medicine finally took its hold. Grunting in surprise, Rain held on tightly as her friend suddenly went from tired and needing help to sound asleep and practically dead weight in a matter of seconds.

"Oh, man you're heavy. They always make this sound so much easier in those high seas adventure books Storm reads about. Just throw the person over your shoulder and keep moving," Rain grunted as she tried to shift Alistair's body to a more comfortable position. She hadn't been ready for it and so Alistair was hanging rather awkwardly off her. Not even half a second later, Alistair snapped back awake with loud snort and a flutter of her eyes.

"I'm not asleep," Alistair stated firmly with a concentrated frown as she pushed herself off Rain and tried to stand on her own only to stumble and nearly go down again when her knees gave out. Once again Rain caught her and kept her from going crashing down to the floor.

"Uh hunh. Sure you aren't mighty warrior. Do you need some help getting to your room there Sleeping Beauty?" Rain teased and Alistair tried very hard to scowl at her but only ended up groaning and dropped her head down onto her shoulder while mumbling something.

"I'm sorry I didn't quite catch that," Rain teased with a smirk growing across her face.

"I thought you said you weren't going to carry me," Alistair grumbled softly.

"Nope didn't catch that one either," Rain's smirk blossomed into a grin as Alistair muttered to herself even as her eyes grew heavier by the second.

"Yes, I believe I will require some assistance lest I collapse on the floor again," Alistair finally admitted her voice thick with sleep.

"Better," Rain said as she shifted Alistair in her grip and put her other arm under the back of her legs. With one swift, but less than grateful move she lifted her up and then grunted at the weight and nearly fell over herself. It wasn't a matter of strength, Rain was easily strong enough to carry Alistair. The issue was how awkward of a position it put her in. Carrying a person like this wasn't nearly as comfortable or easy as the books made it out to be. Of course her stumble didn't quite go unnoticed.

"Okay you know what? Never mind. Put me down. I'll just sleep here thanks."

"Oh quit fussing I'm not going to drop you... I hope."

"Rain..."

"Don't worry! Have I ever let you down?"

"You'd better not. If I wake up with another bump on my head tomorrow morning I'll know what happened," Alistair sighed and let her head drop down to Rain's shoulder again. Within seconds she was sound asleep. This time hopefully she wouldn't be startled awake. Being shaken out of a medically induced sleep wasn't good for her.

Moving carefully, Rain used her foot to open the door and moved down the hallway and past the kitchen. Amai was in there warming up some milk so she could feed Raiden before putting him down to sleep for the night. The girl looked up and her hand froze over the metal pot.

"Umm... do you... need some help? Like getting her to bed... or something?" Amai asked slowly the spoon in her hand still hovering over the pot. Rain sighed and shifted Alistair in her grip a bit.

"I could actually. The medication finally got the best of her. It'll only take a second. Just open the door and pull the covers back for me," Rain admitted as Amai put the wooden spoon of to the side and came around the counter. Amai hurried down the hallway with a hungry and impatient Raiden in tow while Rain trailed behind them. She nearly hit Alistair's head on the wall but moved her out of the way just in time. No need for her to know about that.

When she got to Alistair's room she slid inside and thankfully didn't have any baby monsters running around her feet. Akairo and Ginouji had already climbed up onto the bed and were on the far side yawning and awaiting their mother's presence. Amai had just pulled the covers back and stepped aside so Rain could approach. Grunting from the awkward position, she still managed to put Alistair down on the bed and pull the covers up around her without knocking her head against the bedside stand or the hand carved headboard. Immediately Akairo headed over and curled up next to Alistair's legs while Ginouji snuggled up and put his head down at the top of her chest just at the base of her neck.

Satisfied, Rain gave Ginouji a quick scratch under the chin when he lifted his head and stretched his neck out towards her. The silver rathalos cooed happily and snuggled back up against his mom. Backing up she shooed Amai out of the room and slowly pulled the door shut but left it open just a bit. The rathalos' would likely be awake before Alistair was so this way they would be able to push the door open and come out whenever they wanted.

"She's got an appointment with her psychologist tomorrow right?" Amai asked as they headed down the hallway and back towards the kitchen.

"Yeah, but it's tomorrow afternoon so she'll have plenty of time to sleep in," Rain explained as she watched Amai head around the kitchen counter and take the warm milk off the stove fire before reaching to turn the gas off. Raiden was already pawing at her legs and whining for it.

"Calm down, I'm coming, I'm coming," Amai assured him as she grabbed a glass bottle and poured the warm milk into it. Once the bottle was finished she sat down on the floor with her legs stretched out. Raiden all but jumped into her lap and eagerly latched onto the bottle. Once he was settled down and quietly eating Amai spoke up again.

"What happened with Alistair before? She was in a hospital previously right? After Zystae was attacked? But it didn't go well or something?" Amai asked quietly. Rain nodded and sighed slightly at the memories.

"Alistair was suffering badly. Couldn't sleep, constant nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety attacks. Nothing they did was working. So they used electroshock therapy to try to help her. Electrical currents to try and... fix what was wrong in her brain," Rain explained her hands twisted together at the memory, "Technically speaking it did help. At least briefly. A lot of Alistair's symptoms stopped and she wasn't having severe flashbacks or psychotic episodes like before. Her nightmares didn't seem to be as intense either... but..." Rain stopped and shook her head, "...but the treatment they used had side effects and it doesn't last forever. In fact its been known to wear off after a while. Memory loss is one of the biggest risks. Most patients experience temporary memory lost that clears up in a few hours. For some it lasts a bit longer. Still others have memory loss that can take up to six or seven months to finally clear was Alistair's problem. Her short term memory was shot and stayed that way for about three months before the... the haze started to clear. Once it did she improved steadily but before then... before then it was rough," Rain continued with a heavy sigh.

"It affected her a lot more than it should have. Aside from not being able to remember anything she could barely take care of herself for most of that first month. She was just... off in another world somewhere. The doctor's said that it couldn't be a side effect from the treatment but they didn't know what else could be causing it either. Alistair didn't talk, rarely responded to what was going on around her, and couldn't take care of herself. I fed her, bathed her, got her dressed, everything. Storm helped out wherever he could though," Rain added closing her eyes at the memory of her brother.

"I mean how could I not? There was no way I was just going to stick my best friend in a hospital somewhere and let them take care of her or just make her condition even worse. For the first month that's the only thing she said. 'Please don't send me back' and she only once as Storm was carrying her out of the mental institution. I promised her I wouldn't and I was going to keep that promise. So when my mother implies that I 'don't know' how to have a stable relationship or friendship with someone..." she paused as Amai filled in sentence for her.

"You get pissed off. Because you've done everything possible to help Alistair. Its disrespectful to you and to her," Amai ventured and Rain nodded slowly.

"To her, to me and to Storm too. Alistair means the world to me and I know the reverse is true. We've been through some tough times together. I want her to be safe. To be happy. Whether she's here or..." Rain waved her hand around as she searched for the right words.

"Or goes flying around shooting monsters from the back of a rathalos?" Amai offered and Rain put her hands over her face.

"Oh don't even go there. I know she's going to try that the minute those two are big enough to safely handle her weight," Rain winced and shot a look down the hallway. "I think right now Alistair just wants to stay here. She needs stability and she feels safe here. She knows she can rely on me and I'll understand what to do if something goes wrong with her. This is a safe place for her, but at the same time she feels like she needs... likes she's expected to be independent again and stand on her own," Rain rubbed her forehead and then grimaced as a painful cramp hit her suddenly.

"You okay?" Amai asked as Rain doubled over the counter.

"No I am not. I'm mentally exhausted and I feel like I just got kicked in the gut," she answered with an irritated grumble into the counter surface.

"What you need right now is pie."

"...pardon?"

"Pie. Didn't you buy those berries at the market so you could make Alistair a pie or something? Let me do it tonight instead. I'm going to be up for a little while anyway so I might as well do something. Besides every woman gets food cravings on her period. Give me an hour and a half and it'll be done," Amai said with a sage nod as she climbed to her feet jostling Raiden who snorted and put his paws over his eyes. Rain tried to come up with a counterargument but her body wasn't giving her much choice. It was in pain and craving something sweet.

"Fine. Whatever. I have all the ingredients already. Let me show you where they are first and make sure you clean up afterwards," Rain said as Amai lit up and started rubbing her hands together. "I'm gonna take a shower and relax in my room. Let me know when it's done," she said wandering deeper into the kitchen to grab bowls, utensils, and ingredients.

* * *

Ginouji yawned and lifted his head to look around. It was sun up time again. Akairo was still asleep and so was mother. Mother was tired from yesterday and needed rest so he had to be quiet. Carefully wiggling out from under her arm he peered closer at mother's face for a moment and then backed up. Lifting his wings he hopped off the edge of the bed landing on the soft stuff below with a squeak. Standing up he shook his wings and hurried across the floor. His toes made funny clicking sounds when he did that.

Looking back Ginouji made sure that Akairo and mother were asleep before pushing the big door open and heading down the hallway. He could smell hot food nearby. Maybe if he found Rain she would feed him some nice hot stuff like they had when they went out into the big buildings.

When he got closer he saw Rain standing in the food making place. It looked like she was making something to eat. Maybe if he was good she would make him some too. Letting out a sound somewhere between a squeak and a chirp, Ginouji walked up to her and nudged her leg. Rain looked down at him and made a happy face and pleased sounds at him. Ginouji wanted to learn how to understand the sounds she and mother made. He understood some of them, but the big talking creature yesterday spoke just like them. When he spoke and made noises at them they knew what he meant and what he wanted. Ginouji wanted to speak to mother like that too. Would he be able to talk to mother when he got bigger?

"Food? ...hungry?"

Those noises he understood. Ginouji blinked and bobbed his head just like he had seen mother do when she agreed with something. He chomped his jaws eagerly and Rain made more happy sounds and grabbed a big round thing. She put some stuff on it and then put it down in front of him. He had never seen it before but it smelled good. When he bit into it it was nice and soft but tasted really good. He liked Rain. She was nice to him and made mother feel better when she was sad. He liked the new little sparky monster Amai brought back too. Maybe they would grow up to be big and strong together.

Ginouji was so busy eating it took a few moments before he realized Rain had walked away and left him. Gurgling curiously he quickly ate the rest of the food she had given him and scurried back out of the area to see if he could find out where she had gone. It didn't take very long. He could smell her. Rain smelled just like the big water mother took them to before when she taught them how to find their own food in the water. Of course the big water monster had attacked them but mother fought it off and protected them just like he knew she would.

Rain was back in the sleeping room. She was sitting next to mother talking to her. Mother sounded really tired. Ginouji saw Akairo in the corner and hissed at him to get his attention. He lowered his head and motioned for him to come over quietly. Lifting his head, Akairo chirped at him and hurried over only to stop halfway and run back to grab the toy mother made for him. It rang and clinked as he ran back over towards the door. Standing up as tall as he could he saw Rain move back and pull the soft blankets up higher around mother. It looked like she wanted her to get more sleep. They would have to be good and make sure mother got plenty of rest so she could be strong and fight for them later.

Maybe the big black monster would come closer today. She was Seiva's sister and Ginouji had never seen a monster as strong as her before. Maybe she would be nice and play with them like Seiva did. Rain turned around and made the same motion for silence that mother did when she was teaching them how to hide and not be noticed. Akairo nudged Ginouji with his wing and he backed up out of the room along with his brother. Rain shooed them along with the promise of more food for them. Before they could get very far there was a loud banging sound. Cocking his head to the side, Ginouji looked up at Rain who made an unhappy face and headed toward the front door.

Akairo hurried after her to see who it was. Ginouji fidgeted back and forth before reluctantly trailing along after them. He wanted more food. It was Akairo's startled grunt and his unhappy hissing that made Ginouji hurry over to see who was there. When he looked up at Rain he was that she looked very unhappy and upset. Turning back Ginouji squeaked in surprise and backed up, hissing and lifting his wings to warn the other female off.

It was the female who looked just like mother. Did they come from the same nest like he and Akairo did? Whatever the reason Ginouji didn't like her and he didn't want to see her here. Mother didn't like seeing her before and Ginouji didn't want to see her now.

He had to find some way to make her go away as soon as possible.


	23. Family Planning

_This chapter has been revised_

Chapter 23: Family Planning

* * *

Rain immediately bristled with anger. Her body tensing up at the sight of Alistair's twin sister Sky standing there in front of her. Sky for her part had her hands on her hips and a smug look etched across her lips. Before she could open her mouth, Rain stepped up to her and stuck a finger in her face, right under those glasses she was always fiddling with.

"I don't know why you're here and frankly I don't care," Rain snarled resisting the urge to grab the front of Sky's freshly ironed and pressed crimson shirt. Instead she settled for clenching her free hand and staring down the shorter woman. "I have enough to worry about right now with Storm gone and Alistair's mental health. If you do anything, _anything_ to jeopardize her well-being then I swear to the heavens that I will toss you out of my house personally and then let Seiva chase you don't the street throwing balls of lightning at you until you're too afraid to step one foot back in this port," she warned narrowing her eyes dangerously as Sky leaned away from her.

"One sniffle, one frown, one heartbroken look, one single _almost_ tear in Alistair's eyes and I will haul you right up out of here. That includes her babies, Akairo and Ginouji. You do not touch them, go near them, I don't even want you to breathe the same _air_ as them. So if you don't like it then you can take your opinions and shove them right up your tight, arrogant little..." She was cut off when Sky calmly pushed her finger aside.

"Settle down would you? I'm not here to ruin your budding relationship or destroy my sister's mental health. Contrary to popular belief I am _not_ actually a cold-hearted mistress of evil, risen up from the underworld with the sole purpose of causing others misery and suffering," Sky countered as Rain settled back on her heels and continued glaring dangerously at her. Still Rain could hear the grumbles and hisses of Ginouji and Akairo from the doorway behind her.

"Although I know you won't believe me I _was_ actually heading here to Tanzia Port already. Well to the research center nearby actually. There's been some unusual monster sightings here where the tropical jungle starts going through the nearby mountains and they wanted my help to try and figure out why it's happening. However, I thought I would stop in to see how my twin sister is doing first... I _am_ allowed to do that aren't I?" Sky asked lifting an eyebrow curiously as she leaned over slightly to peer around into the house. Immediately, Rain stepped back into her line of sight.

"I'm still debating that at the moment," Rain practically snarled at her and Sky pursed her lips, crossing her arms defiantly.

To say that she didn't like Sky would be quite an understatement. Every time Alistair was left alone with one of her family members she was practically guaranteed to end up more upset and emotionally distraught then before. Things hadn't always been like this. Before Alistair started suffering from PTSD both her and her sister had been so close they were practically mind readers. After the death of her husband and the loss of her child Alistair's mental state had started to suffer from the trauma she had experienced and her family hadn't known or understood what was going on with her. Sure Rain hadn't really been in any better position then they were, but it had been obvious to her that Alistair was still stuck back in that moment. Those moments or days before, during, and after the monster had attacked Zystae. Nightmares and flashbacks constantly haunted her. She was either trapped under the building in the marketplace, stuck in the hospital screaming in pain and emotional turmoil, jumping at every loud noise or cringing at the press of people around her because it reminded her of those moments before the city was attacked.

Alistair didn't need to be told about how everything was okay or how it would all go away in time. She was _not_ okay and her PTSD wasn't going to just get better in time just because she wanted it to. What she needed was someone who understood that she was still living in that moment. Those horrible moments of death and destruction weren't something that was fading away into the past as the days and weeks turned into months. It was something she lived with every day. Every time she closed her eyes or allowed her thoughts to drift back to what happened there. Telling her to move on only made her more upset because no one could realize the one thing Alistair did: she _couldn't_ move on. It wasn't a choice or a decision. If it was she would have chosen to forget all of it and shut it away. Instead her brain refused to allow her to move on and not just emotionally. It forced her to relive and remember those moments that she desperately wanted to move on from. She was stuck in place and sheer will power wasn't nearly enough to help her get through it. Waiting around and letting time pass wasn't going to solve anything. Alistair needed help. _Professional_ help. Not just kind family members assuring her that with enough time things would get better on their own. As much as they loved her their words had only made Alistair feel worse about her mental health, worse about herself, and more depressed over the fact that she _couldn't_ just move on from it the way she wanted to.

Rain hated seeing Alistair upset like that. It wasn't her fault she was sick and Rain didn't want anyone else making her depressed over something she had so little control over. Besides she could tell that Alistair was already having a depressive episode after what happened yesterday at the mine. Alistair had been clinically depressed for quite a while but sometimes it was worse then others.

Rain took one glance into her room this morning and she could tell her friend had slipped back into another deep spell of depression. It might be just for a day but it could also be for a week or a few weeks. Either way, Rain was not going to let Sky just waltz back in here whenever she wanted and risk her making Alistair feel even worse.

Alistair's immediate and extended family had been find with their friendship at first since it clearly meant so much to Alistair. After the partial destruction of Zystae and the deterioration of Alistair's mental stability though, things had changed. Unable to find the support she needed with her own family, Alistair had started relying and depending more and more on Rain. And the more she started relying on Rain the tighter her family tried to hold on to her. The tighter her family tried to hold on the more they suffocated Alistair which made her fight harder to pull away and the more she relied on her best friend. Since then things had changed and their tolerance had shifted to open resentment.

Rain couldn't exactly blame them for it; she couldn't imagine how difficult it was to see a family member suffering and yet be forced to watch them pull away from you every time you tried to help. Still Rain had promised Alistair that she would help her and take care of her. She was the one person Alistair trusted almost unquestionably when it came to her mental health and Rain knew just how valuable and precious that trust was. She wasn't going to ruin that by letting Alistair put herself into a situation that was going to end up making her worse instead of better.

"Are you still in there?"

Rain blinked and snapped out of her thoughts, immediately scowling at Sky all over again. Before she could tell the woman to shove off and come back another time, preferably when Alistair wasn't already feeling worse then usual, there was shuffling behind her and some happy humming from Ginouji and Akairo. She immediately recognized the sound from the two baby rathalos. It was a greeting they only used when they saw their mother.

Turning around Rain saw Alistair walking up behind her and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She pulled up her sweatpants up a bit, since they were dragging, and yawned as she came up beside Rain. It took a moment of staring at her sister before recognition flickered in her eyes and Alistair's brow furrowed with worry.

"Sky? What are you doing here?" she asked with a voice heavy with exhaustion. Both physical and mental.

Instinctively, Rain reached over and put a hand on Alistair's lower back, not just for emotional support but for physical support as well considering the way she was swaying back and forth. Taking the prescribed sleep medication may help Alistair to finally get through a night without bad dreams but it also had lingering side effects like extreme drowsiness the next morning.

"I'm in the area helping the local research center with a... wandering monster problem you might say. I'm trying to help shed some light on the situation and possibly advise a team of hunters if the monster needs to be moved or discouraged from remaining in the area. This was a trip that was in the planning stages before I knew you were coming here actually, but since you are here I didn't want to just come and do my job without seeing my sister," Sky explained as her eyes slid down to where Ginouji and Akairo were peeking out from between Alistair's legs. Immediately they hissed at her and skittered back out of her sight and Rain couldn't help but silently congratulate them on their perception.

"You don't have to worry about your little ones there. I've already seen Aureus and he assures me that they are thriving under all of the care and attention they are getting here," Sky added quickly when Rain started to narrow her eyes dangerously at her. Alistair mumbled something in response and leaned tiredly against Rain. Alistair rubbed her face and let her head rest against Rain for a moment with her eyes closed. Rain's heart ached for her. She was just so exhausted. For a moment Sky's cold, haughty gaze softened and her fingers twitched like she wanted to reach out to her twin but instead she just cleared her throat.

"You're my sister. I just want to see you and talk. Not start a war. Please Alistair? I promise I won't be a cold-hearted villain who only appears to ruin the day," Sky implored gently putting her hands out in supplication. Alistair opened her eyes and sighed softly. She straightened up a bit and yawned again before rubbing her eyes.

"Sky... I'm tired, miserable and depressed. Right now I just want to curl up and stay in bed all day. Honestly I don't... I'm not..." Alistair stopped with a grimace and put her hands over her face before dropping them to her sides, "I'm not really..." she hesitated again but couldn't finish this time. Sighing heavily she straightened up and wobbled a bit. The hunter looked like she was one stumble away from falling flat on her face and Rain did not need that on her conscience as well. Intervening she decided to get Alistair away from this situation.

"Wait here and don't touch anything. We need a minute to talk," Rain said and slid her arm around Alistair's waist to help guide her back inside. Of course before turning around completely Rain made sure to shoot Sky another nasty look just to emphasize her point. She could hear the click of Ginouji and Akairo's claws on the wood floor as they scampered along behind her making unhappy noises that had to be directed at Sky before the door swung shut with a loud bang behind them.

Guiding Alistair over to the living room Rain let her sit down on the couch and then took a seat next to her. Both Akairo and Ginouji pressed up against her legs and nuzzled them affectionately with happy rumbles. While Alistair was reaching down to pet them and rub their necks the look on her face was quickly growing more and more upset by the second.

_Please don't cry, please don't cry, please don't cry..._ Rain thought only to grimace as Alistair sniffed and brushed away a tear that fell down her cheek. _Dang it,_ she sighed and rubbed her neck as Alistair put her head down in her hands in obvious distress. She wanted to go wake up Seiva, point his electric abilities directly at Sky and then stand there with smug satisfaction as the woman was forced to put away her snide comments and run away in the other direction. Instead, Rain slid farther down the couch and put her arm around Alistair supportively.

"I can't do this anymore!" Alistair blurted out suddenly making both hatchlings startle backwards and then lower their heads in disappointment that they couldn't make their mother feel better. "I thought I was _better_! I hadn't been obsessively going out on quests and I even managed to go out in town on my own to buy what I needed instead of having it delivered while I was in Loc Lac. I hadn't had a major anxiety attack in a couple weeks which was good for me and then... and then..." she stopped as a sob escaped her throat.

Lifting her head she brushed her tears away quickly. "And then everything starts falling to pieces all over again. I honestly thought I was finally doing okay... and now... now I feel like I've spent the past few years going nowhere. I'm not doing any better then I was just after the disaster. I'm not sleeping better, my panic attacks aren't getting better and my flashbacks aren't going away. I feel like I've been drowning for years and I'm still no closer to the surface then I was when I first started having symptoms," she confessed as her voice cracked on the words. Sniffing, Alistair brushed away more tears and gestured vaguely towards the door.

"Now my sister is here, who I've wanted to reconnect with ever since my first marriage, but I take one look at her now and I fall to pieces and everything comes crashing down on me all over again! I saw her in Loc Lac and I was okay!" Alistair said dismally and dropped her head back down into her hands miserably. "At least I _thought_ I was okay. Sure it was tense but no more so then usual. I thought... I honestly thought I was... I was..." her voice cracked again. Akairo lifted his head off her leg and nudged her side with a soft keen to try and get her attention so he could cheer her up. Sighing she reached over and stroked him gently but he still wasn't convinced and kept glancing up at her from the corner of his eyes. Rain reached over and took Alistair's hand and gave it a strong squeeze.

"Look I know this is overwhelming for you, but remember what your psychologist said. It's true... maybe your symptoms will never go away completely but that doesn't mean they can't get better," Rain gently reminded her as Alistair brushed away more tears with her free hand. "And your PTSD _will_ get better but it'll take time. Months or even years and it won't be easy or fast but it _will_ happen if you keep working. Stuff like this is going to happen. Breakdowns like this are going to happen but I know you're strong enough to get through this. No matter how hard it might get at times," she added softly but Alistair was already shaking her head in denial.

Now she stood up startling both rathalos hatchlings who jumped up to follow here. Hesitating they both looked over at Rain as their mother went to stand off with her arms crossed. Giving them a quick "stay" motion she got to her feet and went after Alistair who had her arms wrapped around her body. She lifted her head a bit as Rain walked over but didn't turn around.

"But what if I'm _not_ strong enough, Rain? What if I can't do this? I know it's only been about a week since I started getting help for this but at the same time it's only been a week and look at what happened!" Alistair turned around in obvious distress. She would have said more but the front door opened again suddenly and Amai walked in with Raiden bouncing around her heels with his harness and leash on.

"Hey I'm back! Got some fresh berries and more eggs and flour for some pancakes like you wanted, Rain. By the way Alistair, why is your sister out... umm... uhh," Amai trailed off as she saw how Alistair was standing and the way Akairo and Ginouji were peeking out at them from by the couch. Shifting the bags in her arms she cleared her throat uncomfortably. "You know what? I'm just going to get into the kitchen and the little ones fed," she offered hurrying past them quickly. Raiden bounded along after her and Rain gave both hatchlings a sharp look and pointed towards Amai. They got the hint and went after her but looked back a few times at their mother anyway. Ginouji more reluctantly then Akairo did. Once Amai had started banging around in the kitchen with obvious and deliberate emphasis, Alistair turned to face Rain and started talking again.

"Look at what happened to Storm... I should be able to be there for you. Not sitting around feeling sorry for myself and depending on you so much for support at the one time you need me most. Then there's your job as well. You haven't so much as stepped inside your business in days because you've been taking care of me," she whispered with a sniff. Rain opened her mouth and then shut it. Shifting her feet uncomfortably she tried to come up with something to say. Alistair had a very legitimate point after all.

"You know what? You have a point," Rain admitted fairly as Alistair rubbed her cheek and looked back at the kitchen where Amai was chopping up meat into small chunks for Ginouji and Akairo and warming up some kelbi milk for Raiden. Seeing Alistair's worried glance back at her little ones gave Rain an idea.

"First off you have an appointment with your psychologist this afternoon so you'll have an opportunity to follow up with him and tell him about how you're feeling. Why don't we put off any meetings with your sister until you see him a few hours from now? You can tell him about this and see what his professional opinion is about you reconnecting with her and your parents. He can provide some better insight onto how you can go about it in a way that hopefully won't put this kind of stress on you again," Rain offered as a compromise. Alistair was right and they both knew it so there was no point in denying it or trying to find a way to placate her.

"We're also supposed to bring in your medication so he could review and adjust them if necessary. Then tomorrow Amai or my lagiacrus can babysit your little ones for a little bit while you take a nice long few hours at the spa relaxing. I've already told them you were coming and they have plenty of spots open. While you're doing that I can go in and work for a while at the store. I've had our... my employees working there in the meantime but it wouldn't hurt for me to go and work there while you spend time at the spa. It'll be a good chance for you to de-stress and not have to worry for a while. Then we can all meet up and have lunch or dinner or something at a nice quiet place. A day for you to just relax and not worry about anything or anyone. How does that sound?" Rain offered and Alistair reluctantly turned back to her and considered that for a moment.

"I..." Alistair hesitated for a minute and chewed on her thumbnail, "I do like the sound of that. I mean the spa is always how I get myself to calm down and relax again when I'm starting to feel worse... like now," she muttered the last part under her breath as her eyes strayed over towards the door. Rain could see the worried look growing in her eyes and stepped in front of her.

"Let me take care of this. Besides this is just until we know what your psychologist says. I'll even try to keep my gloating to a minimum. Promise," Rain swore and was pleased to see a tiny smile pull at the corners of Alistair's mouth.

"Okay... that does make me feel a little better. I mean I do want to improve my relationship with her and my parents but right now... right now..." Alistair stopped and put her hands to her head with a wince, "I just can't do this right now. I feel stretched as it is without adding this on top of everything as well..." she said softly and rubbed her face wearily.

"Hey come here," Rain opened her arms and pulled her into a tight hug. Alistair wrapped her arms around her and sighed heavily, her head buried in Rain's shoulder.

"I keep telling myself it's not true but I just feel so... so pathetic sometimes. So weak. Like I should be stronger then this. Better than this. I know that's the wrong way to look at it but my mind won't let it go," Alistair mumbled into Rain's shoulder. "Part of me knows that I'm... that I'm sick and I need help to get better, but the other part feels like I should have been able to get over this by now. That I'm weak for not being able to do better," she admitted in a heavy and obviously tired voice as Rain rubbed her back sympathetically. Pulling back Rain put her hands on Alistair's shoulders and looked her firmly in the eyes.

"You are sick and you do need help. That doesn't make you weak or pathetic or anything else even remotely associated with those words. This has happened to other people as well. Hunters and regular civilians. Why it happened or what caused it doesn't make it any less serious or important. Being this way makes you human. It does _not_ make you weak. Okay?" Rain told her sternly and Alistair took a deep breath before nodding slowly. "Good. Now go take a nice relaxing bubble bath and when you're done I'll make breakfast for you," she said turning Alistair around and pushing her away lightly.

"I'm going, I'm going. Thanks Rain. I needed that," she said gratefully before running a hand through her long messy bed hair and heading back towards the hallway and her room. With that taken care of Rain turned around and rubbed her hands eagerly. Time to take care of Sky.

* * *

"Excuse me?" Sky's eyes widened in shock seconds before her face started to color with anger.

"I don't believe I stuttered," Rain shot back smugly unable to totally hide her satisfaction at the reversal currently going on here. "Alistair isn't in any position to see you right now. She moved here because she trusted me to help with Ginouji and Akairo. She appointed me as her legal health representative because she trusted me to make decisions when she wasn't able to. Right now with her current mental condition she is not in any capacity ready to deal with you or her parents. I do think she needs to at least send a letter but she can't talk to any of you one on one yet. She started panicking at just the _thought_ of having to talk to you," she continued as Sky crossed her arms and glared back at her defiantly. Rain wasn't going to let the woman's snappish attitude make her back down.

"There is no way you are going to ruin any progress Alistair might finally be starting to make because you decided to just drop by and try to play nice after a couple years of making her feel worse about what she's dealing with. Alistair has already been hospitalized for a bit and she's still dealing with anxiety and panic attacks. Now she's found a doctor who specializes in stuff Not only that but she's actually getting along with him and is seriously willing to work at what he tells her to do. Do you know how _huge_ that is for her after what she's been through with hospitals already?" Rain demanded taking a step forward into Sky's personal space.

"I'm not going to stand by and let you or anyone else jeopardize this for her. This is the first time she might finally have a real chance at improving and getting better and you are not going to screw that up. So you can be patient and wait to see what her doctor has to say or I can have Seiva kindly escort you off my property," Rain said letting her not so subtle threat hang in the hair between them.

"Alistair isn't emotionally ready to talk with you and I'm going to support her in that. We'll see what her doctor has to say today and go from there. That's the best I can do," she added firmly. For a moment she thought Sky would protest again, instead she drew herself up taller and lifted her chin proudly.

"I will be checking in with this doctor myself as well. You can be sure of that," she said coolly, adjusting her glasses a bit before whirling around and stomping down the stone steps and across the walkway.

"Oh I count on it, princess," Rain muttered to herself as she watched the other woman stalk away. Now that she was gone it was time to go back and help Alistair. One look was all it took for Rain to see that her friend's depression was seriously getting the better of her today, more than usual. Not that there had to be a specific reason but recent events certainly were not going to help.

Hopefully the doctor would have some tips for them.

* * *

" _Idiots_. All of them. Wouldn't know how to properly treat a mentally ill patient if exactly what they needed walked up and slapped them in the face," Doctor Kaine scowled as he examined each of the medications Rain had brought in along with the precise written instructions for them. They had just arrived and as requested she had brought all of Alistair's current medication so he could take a look at it. Not long after he started Doctor Kaine had frowned and soon moved on to muttering and complaints about the idiocy of "so called modern medicine."

"They want the mentally ill to come in for treatment but then don't how to properly treat them once they do. Throwing this kind of medication at someone in these doses... it's a wonder you aren't constantly walking around in a daze all the time," he continued mostly speaking to the air as he was still busy angrily slashing away at the paper on the clipboard in his lap. Rain and Alistair both exchanged a look, not bothering to tell him that she hadn't been taking her medicine like she was supposed to for exactly that reason.

"True with the mentally ill a certain level experimentation is sometimes necessary until you find what works best for that individual person. Still you only go to higher doses or more potent herbs _after_ other combinations have proven to be ineffective. I can't believe they started you off on all of this simply because of your history! Especially when you've never been on a medication regimen like this before," Doctor Kaine all but slammed the small glass bottle down and then took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"Normally your medical history and past symptoms might warrant more extreme measures, but you have never actually been officially treated for any mental illnesses before. Not your depression which they know about and not your PTSD which they did not. This is simply inexcusable. I'm going to be having a long talk with those people as soon as my day is done here," he added with a scowl down at the medications before him. He slashed through a couple lines on his paper and quickly wrote something underneath each one.

"I'm getting rid of three of your medications and replacing the other two. The dosage for your sleep medicine will be cut back. Thankfully you haven't been taking these for very long and I deeply apologize for not doing this more thoroughly with you the first time you came in. Hopefully this will reduce some of the drowsiness you feel the next day. My hope is to use this herbal mixture to help you go to and maintain a restful sleep. It's not intended to knock you out and leave you a zombie the next day like it's currently doing now. We only do that in extreme cases and I'd like to see if you can sleep on your own with reduced nightmares first rather then simply drugging you up the way you are now," Doctor Kaine explained but then held up his pen in warning.

"Keep in mind that you are never and I mean _never_ to stop any of your medications suddenly without consulting me first. Some you can stop right away but for others you _must_ be carefully weaned off of them. So if there are any side effects you absolutely can't stand then _please_ inform me about it first," he added and Alistair nodded in confirmation. Satisfied he leaned back and picked up another bottle. "This is to help with your depression. Medication for this problem doesn't always help and can in fact make things worse for some people. I'm going to replace this with something different. You'll be carefully weaned off the one you are on now and started on a low dose of another medicinal plant. I plan on increasing it to a more moderate dose but _only_ if the one you start with isn't working as strongly as it should," Doctor Kaine stood up and moved over to a row of shelves behind his chair. It was line with glass containers each labeled with the names of different plants. He picked one up and brought it back with him. Moving aside the other bottles of medicine he placed it on the table.

"Cannabis? You mean marijuana?" Alistair questioned, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. Rain arched an eyebrow herself and looked up at the doctor for confirmation. She had never been one for recreational drugs herself and had only limited knowledge of the medicinal purposes for cannabis. Meaning that she knew it could be used as medicine but that was about it.

"Keep in mind that this is a unique strain, not the kind you just buy off someone in town," he said with a tiny smile. "Medical grade cannabis is carefully cultivated with different chemical makeups. To put it simply this strain will provide the maximum benefits without getting you high the way it normally would. It will have a slight sedative effect and will make you relaxed without the full effects of the recreational kind," he continued, his eyes were focused on Alistair and on the suspicious look that had crawled across her face.

"I want to be perfectly and completely honest with you. We haven't fully studied the effects of cannabis on patients with depression and PTSD like you have. We've only recent begun to accept both of them as valid medical illnesses in the field of medicine after all. I know it can help those with anxiety but other illnesses have not been fully studied yet. If you accepted you would be agreeing to be part of a long term experimental study. One that stretches for years... not months and would likely involve you trying different forms. From smoking it, to burning it in the air around you, or simply using the oil in food or on your skin. There's still much we don't know and I don't want there to be any confusion about that," Doctor Kaine said his expression serious.

"However, Alistair... I _know_ this can help you. There is not a single doubt in my mind about that. Could you achieve the same result with a combination of other medications? Sure after more experimentation with dosage and plants. Treating mental illness isn't easy and there are still a lot of unknowns. There is no strict formula but I believe in this and I want you to give it a try. Just for a couple months and if you don't want to continue then just say the word and I'll drop it and try something else," he offered and Alistair leaned forward a bit before settling back against the chair.

"No questions asked?" she pressed still looking at him apprehensively. He nodded in answer and Alistair shifted her gaze back down to the glass jar.

"No questions asked. Why don't you think about it for a little bit? You can get back to me during our next session two days from now? Does that sound good?" he offered instead and Alistair visible relaxed at that and nodded slowly in confirmation. "I also have a small group that meets once a week. People with problems just like yours. Depression, PTSD, anxiety and others. It's a chance to talk about what they're dealing with in a safe environment, in a place where people really understand what they've been through and can relate to it. I would like you to come by next time we have it. Feel free to bring your little ones with you as well. I don't expect you to say anything. Just sit back, listen and see if it's something you'd be interested in. It's totally optional," he emphasized as he grabbed a pad and wrote instructions on it. When he finished he looked up at her with a smile.

"Just another option that's available to you. Think about both of them and get back to me. Now take this up to the front desk and they'll get you set up with the new medications, doses and instructions you'll be needing. The ones that are circled I'm going to hold off on for now until you decide whether or not medical marijuana is something you would like to try. No need to risk bad interactions after all. Now I'd like to discuss a few things with Rain one on one," Doctor Kaine added and Alistair hesitated with a look of visible concern, her eyes darting over to Rain. He must have noticed the look between them because he coughed into his fist and cleared his throat. "I'm sure she'll tell you all about it on the way back home," he said gently. Alistair still didn't look entirely comfortable but she got up and reluctantly left the room, shooting quick looks back at Rain before finally closing the door. He paused a moment and tapped his pen against his lips in thought before speaking.

"How would you describe Alistair's behavior towards you now versus how she was before? Obviously she has depression and problems with anxiety, sleeping, and flashbacks but I'm looking for other things. Any other differences in her personality or behavior that you've noticed? Problems getting along with family, a tendency to hold things in where she always talked about them before, things like that," Doctor Kaine commented and Rain considered that question.

"She's..." Rain paused and scratched her neck uncomfortably. "Alistair is a lot more... clingy? Then she used to be? I mean I hate using that word because it sounds like a bad thing. I don't mean it that way and I don't mind it. At the same time I just can't help but notice it now. I mean sure we've always been close but after the accident I noticed Alistair coming to me a whole lot more then she did before for reassurance whether it was emotionally by listening to her and encouraging her or physically by giving her a hug or holding her hand and stuff. I noticed because my family was never big on physical affection like her's is and she always respected that," she admitted reflecting back on how Alistair had changed since the accident.

"The situation with her family was pretty good until then. I mean sure she never saw eye to eye with her sister who doesn't like the fact that she's a hunter, but they were always really close. Even when they lived apart they wrote to each other like twice a week. After the accident they tried to help and... well you've read the reports. Ever since they had her forcibly committed Alistair has just never trusted them like she did before. Alistair will freely admit that they were just trying to help and that she could have really hurt herself or them if they hadn't committed her but it still seriously screwed her up," Rain stopped so Doctor Kaine could finish writing his notes.

"According to the medical history I have on Alistair you and your brother were the ones who got her discharged and nursed her back to health after her bad reaction to the treatment there?" he asked and she nodded in confirmation. "Would you say her attachment... her dependence on you started growing deeper during or after that time? Which is perfectly normal reaction by the way, I'm just trying to get a better timeline of events here," he explained.

"It started about then. Afterwards I mean. For months she had no choice but to depend on me... on Storm and I. As she started to finally recover to the point where she could take care of herself I noticed that she still came to me a lot. Not really dependent on me to do things for her but always looking for reassurance. Even if she didn't verbalize it I could see it in the way she would act. When she started to realize just how much she was doing it she decided to move back to Loc Lac. Alistair wanted to try and get back on her feet and get back into a more normal routine again. Personally I wanted her to stay, but I supported her decision and let her know that she could always come back here if she needed me or I could come there if she needed something. For a while she seemed to be doing okay. Or coping at least. Now we're back here," Rain concluded watching as he wrote a few more things down on the clipboard.

"You mentioned before that you noticed Alistair's need for physical forms of reassurance because it wasn't something you grew up with or were used to. How do you feel now?" Doctor Kaine asked after a brief second.

"Now... now I don't really even think twice about it. Alistair needed me. She still does and I'll do whatever I have to in order to help her," Rain said simply and the doctor smiled at her response.

"It's good to see you so dedicated to helping her because Alistair is unquestionably going to need your support during this process. You are Alistair's security blanket. Having you around provides psychological comfort and makes her feel safe in distressing situations. She knows this and it's part of the reason why she left for Loc Lac. She felt pressure from society, from what she's heard growing up that she needs to be completely independent. However now that she's back in a situation that she worries she can't handle she's come back not only because you are her friend and can help with her two little rathalos but also because having you around provides psychological relief," Doctor Kaine explained to her.

"It eases far more of her stress then I believe she is letting on. Obviously we would like to get her to the point where she can handle matters on her own without needing to go to you all the time. That remains true even if she decided to stay with you permanently. However at the same time your support and presence is vital to her recovery. Actions speak louder than words after all. While her family may have _said_ they were helping her the reality is that their efforts did result in a major setback for Alistair. Meanwhile you not only said you would help her but actually did so and have continued to do so in a way that actually _does_ help if only momentarily. That can and does have a big psychological impact on someone," Doctor Kaine added but paused when he saw Rain shifted in her seat and clear her throat.

"Sorry I just wanted to ask about her family. I wanted to talk about them and about how Alistair should handle that situation. I do want her to reconcile with them at some point but I'm not sure that point is now. Not when it so clearly causes her more distress," Rain said and filled him in on how Alistair had reacted to seeing her sister this morning. Doctor Kaine hummed and wrote a few things down.

"Before I say anymore I want to bring Alistair back in," he said and went to the door. He disappeared through it and a moment later came back with Alistair behind him, her hands twisting the hem of her black tank top nervously. Her eyes darted back and forth between Rain and the Doctor as she sat down clearly wondering what they had talked about while she was out of the room.

Rain reached over and threaded her fingers through Alistair's. She could feel how sweaty her palms were and how much they were trembling and squeezed her hand reassuringly. Alistair took a deep breath and let it out shakily. Rain couldn't help but notice that her hands did start to slow their shaking a bit. Security blanket indeed.

"We were just starting to talk about Skye and your family," Rain said gently. Alistair relaxed a bit more at that. Doctor Kaine had sat down again and now set his clipboard and pen aside before leaning forward.

"What do you want right now Alistair? In regards to your family? There is no wrong answer here mind you," he said and Alistair squirmed a bit and looked over at Rain again with a worried look.

"I know this isn't easy but we need you to be honest if we're going to get you the help you need," Rain said gently.

"I... I..." Alistair stopped and looked down. "Honestly I don't know if I trust my judgment right now. I just want to be able to talk to them again and have them understand what I'm going through but... but I know that realistically I probably can't handle talking to them right now. Not face to face and certainly not one on one. I think Rain should make that decision for me right now," Alistair admitted with shame readily apparent in her voice. Doctor Kaine nodded sympathetically.

"And there's nothing wrong with that at all. That's why Rain is here, because you trust her judgement and know that she'll respect your wishes," he said gently. Then he turned to Rain.

"What do _you_ think is the best way for Alistair to handle this?" he asked her but she didn't have to stop and think about it long.

"I would have Alistair write letters to her parents back home once a week. Just updates on how she's doing, what's going on in Tanzia Port, how Ginouji and Akairo are doing, how her treatment here with you is going. Anything she feels like mentioning. Then I would have a designated day and time to meet with Sky. That way Alistair could prepare ahead of time for it and someone else would be there as a buffer. We could go somewhere, hang out at the beach, go shopping just something to get them together so they can get used to each other again," Rain suggested looking over at Alistair to see if she approved of the idea. Doctor Kaine brightened visibly at her suggestions.

"I think that is a perfect suggestion and that's what I am going to recommend you follow. I would limit visits with your sister to once a week but don't feel pressured to drag it out. If you can only handle an hour then that's what you do. If you're having fun and want to have her there all day with you then that's okay. Go at your own pace. Don't force yourself but don't give in to the temptation to back out either. This is part of your recovery process," he advised and then reached for his clipboard and handed a large piece of paper over to Rain.

"That is a copy of Alistair's new medication regimen. Below that you'll see instructions for tapering off some of the medications she's currently on as well as when to start taking the new ones and in what doses. Be very careful to follow that exactly. We'll meet in two days and check in to see how things are going. Sound good?" he asked earning a jerky nod from Alistair as she took the paper from Rain and started reading it over. "That's all for now. You're free to go. Think about what I said and what I offered. Take the next few days to focus on yourself and on your little ones," he added getting up and walking with them to the door.

* * *

As they walked down the palm tree lined path back home, Alistair turned to Rain and narrowed her eyes at her a bit.

"So what exactly did you talk about while I was out of the room?" she said suspiciously. Rain grinned and hooked and arm around her shoulders which only made Alistair's look of suspicion deepen.

"He wanted to know what changes in your personality I've noticed since the accident. Really he just wanted to get a better timeline of how things happened I guess. Mostly I just said that you look to me for reassurance a lot more then you ever did before. Apparently I'm your security blanket," she said honestly and noted with satisfaction that the worried frown lines marring her face immediately cleared up as her friend lightly elbowed her in the gut.

"Oh shut up. You already knew that. That's why I left for Loc Lac, because I felt like I was relying on you too much," Alistair grumbled as her cheeks flushed red. But Rain noticed that Alistair still leaned into her embrace.

"And yet you still ended up right back here. I'm so honored. I hope you don't burn me like you did your baby blanket though," Rain teased recalling a childhood incident in which Alistair had quite literally burned her old baby blanket in a fit of childish rage. Now Alistair's cheeks reddened even more, her nervousness and worry effectively forgotten.

"I told you not to bring that up again! I was seven years old!" Alistair objected and then poked Rain in the side childishly. "I'll have you know that I recall plenty of stuff that you got into as well. Primarily as a teenager when you got those lagiacrus of yours that follow you around like puppies," she fired back before settling against Rain's side. "Besides I know you're just trying to distract me so I don't start overthinking and stressing out again," she noted observantly. They walked together in silence for a moment before she added, "Thank you, Rain," in a much softer tone of voice.

"That's what I'm here for. Let me deal with your twin. I promise I won't have Shurika or Seiva throw lightning bolts at her and I'll be only minimally insulting to boot," Rain insisted. Her comment won a brief smile from Alistair but it was quickly brushed away by more worry.

"What about you? I feel bad taking up so much of your time like this. Especially after Storm... I mean... well..." Alistair stopped talking as a guilty look spread across her face. Immediately, Rain stopped dead in the road and turned to face her, both hands on her shoulders.

"Hey, hey don't you dare start feeling guilty about anything you hear me? If anyone is guilty here it's me. Family stuff isn't easy for me either and I freely admit that I've been using you as a way of not having to think about or address my brother's death. Because getting involved in your needs is easier then facing what happened. That's going to change tomorrow. While you are having your nice long spa day and relaxing with your babies I'm going to get some stuff in order at home and go into work and get things organized at the shop so I can get back to work on a regular schedule again. Promise. So don't feel guilty about anything okay?" Rain vowed which eased some of the worry on Alistair's face.

"Really?"

"Promise. I even gave Amai some money so both of you could go shopping. You and those rathalos babies are going to have a day of fun and relaxation. No worries, no stress. I've been working on this since I first heard you were coming back. No giant monsters charging out of the ocean or the woods. Nobody in need of saving, just a day off. Okay?" Rain urged and Alistair seemed mollified by that.

"All right fine. Depending on when we finish I want to check out the library here as well and see if they have any more information about rathalos behavior," Alistair said as they started walking again. For a moment she looked ready to ask something else but then frowned and looked away. Rain considered pressing her on it but quickly decided not to.

_She's been through enough today. I just want to get her home, fix something for us to eat and let her relax with Ginouji and Akairo. She needs that right now and they need her,_ Rain thought rubbing her neck as she turned away from watching Alistair. Helping her out wasn't easy but it would always be worth it.

* * *

"He's back?" Alistair said in surprise as she leaned around to look past Amai. Sure enough a familiar Crimson Qurupeco was standing out in the sandy ground in Rain's backyard talking excitedly to Ginouji and Akairo who had apparently warmed up to the large bird wyvern. Amai nodded and rubbed her forehead in a long suffering manner.

"He suddenly showed up about two hours ago actually. Nearly scared me to death when I walked outside. Ginouji and Akairo were content to stay close to me, closer then they usually do I might point out, until Jasper started showing off different monster calls. Then I think something clicked and Ginouji realized that I could not only understand Jasper but respond to him as well or maybe he realized it already. Akairo picked up on it shortly after that," Amai explained holding a sleeping Raiden in her arms as Jasper spoke patiently to the two rathalos babies trying to get them to say simple words.

"I told Jasper that they're both too young and they won't be able to speak for a long time yet. He said he knows that but the more words they know now the better. Never too soon to start or something like that," she added with a shrug as Raiden yawned and shook himself, slowly waking up from his nap. Shurika was gone but Seiva was floating lazily in the water watching over the rathalos babies with a careful eye.

"How have they been doing since I was gone?" Alistair asked as Ginouji and Akairo suddenly looked over and realized their mother was back. Immediately they chirped and growled happily, dashing over as fast as their little legs could carry them. Smiling, she crouched down and gave them plenty of love in the form of hugs, kisses, and scratches under their wings.

"A first they were sulking a bit and kept staring at the door waiting for you to come back. Then Shurika distracted them by showing them how to catch some tiny fish and then letting them use her tail as a diving board. If you ever need a babysitter try asking her. She's taken a real shine to them. Once they were with her they barely gave me a second glance. I've been meaning to ask Rain if Shurika ever had babies of her own. She left once Seiva came back from hunting and then Jasper showed up and you can see how that's turned out," Amai added putting a now fidgeting Raiden down on the ground. The zinogre puppy shook himself off and darted off to chase some butterflies that were hovering over by some wildflowers a short distance away.

"Hey ho Mighty Hunter! Little flame wings very smart! Talk lots when grow big and strong. Jasper start teaching them now. Help them understand. Maybe they not eat me when grow up?" he said in a bright hopeful tone.

"I'm sure after your help they wouldn't dream of eating a pretty peco like you," Alistair said fighting back a grin as the Crimson Qurupeco puffed himself up and wiggled his tail happily.

"Jasper think much about other day. Mighty Hunter good person. Take in little flame wings and make friends with sparky swimmers. Not easy thing at all," Jasper added and then lowered his head so he was at their eye level. "Thought big sparky swimmers no like _anyone_. But they like you. Plus you not eat me when had the chance. So think maybe I did find you. Not hard. Whole forest knows where big sparky swimmers stay at," he added opening and closing his wings slowly. There was a long uncomfortable silence as Jasper looked down at the ground and spoke again.

"Miss her much I do... miss my human. Miss people. Come by here sometimes maybe? Help help? Teach little flame wings how speak and fly?" Jasper added in a sad and desperate tone that Alistair never would have imagined possible for a monster. He was speaking of course about the woman who had nursed him back to health after he got hurt. Aureus had told them about her briefly when Jasper made his first sudden appearance and nearly got himself eaten by Seiva. For the first time it suddenly occurred to Alistair that monsters could get lonely as well. Especially ones that had spent time with, been raised by, or befriended humans.

_It's not like Jasper would need us for anything else. He's still a wild qurupeco and can hunt and take care of himself. So long as he behaves himself I see no problem with him coming by. I doubt Rain will care either so long as he doesn't cause any problems,_ Alistair thought reaching out tentatively. Jasper stayed still, his eyes watching her carefully as she rested a hand on his long beak.

"Of course you can come by. But you have to be good. No playing tricks or upsetting people and you can't bother the big sparky swimmers otherwise you have to go," Alistair set out her terms and immediately Jasper fluffed up his feathers.

"Jasper be good! Promise, promise! Come by again soon! Bring pretty flowers and good fruits!" Jasper said with obvious excitement before dashing off and launching into the air. Within a few short moments he was gone back to wherever he usually roamed.

"This is turning in to a regular zoo around here," Amai noted wryly as a door opened and Rain came out.

"Was that Jasper again? I wondered when he would come back. A qurupeco's curiosity always ends up getting the better of them," Rain mused as Ginouji went over to her and greeted her with a happy chirp and spread wings. Smiling she crouched down and pet him carefully.

"You don't mind do you? I said it was okay for Jasper to come by as long as he didn't cause any trouble. I think he's lonely," Alistair said hesitantly. Thankfully Rain just shrugged it off.

"No that's fine. So long as he behaves himself I don't care. I'm not going to trust him to watch over Ginouji, Akairo or Raiden if one of us can't do it but I don't mind if he hangs out with them while someone else watches from nearby. That reminds me, if for some reason one of us has to go out and then Seiva or Shurika will watch over them. Shurika already offered and Seiva will keep them safe as well. You won't have to worry about a thing. But I assume that will be a rare occurrence," Rain added as Seiva lifted his head and snorted affirmatively. "For now lets get inside and eat. I'm not as good as Storm when it comes to cooking but I can follow a recipe and generally manage not to burn things too badly," she added waving for them all to hurry inside.

Amai went to round up Raiden who was still chasing after bugs while Alistair pet Akairo one more time before heading inside with the hatchling right by her side.

* * *

Ginouji was so happy to see the flying talking monster back again. He kept repeating his name over and over in his head so he wouldn't forget it. Jasper. Not only could Jasper fly but he could speak like mother did and she understood him too. Ginouji and his brother both wanted to hear more and Jasper was happy to play with them and show off different monster calls. Ginouji didn't know if he would ever learn to make noises like that but he had to learn how to make the other speaking noises. The ones mother, Amai and Rain understood. If he knew how to do that then he and mother could talk all the time.

Growling and hissing under his breath Ginouji crudely tried to repeat some of Jasper's words but he couldn't. He didn't want to wait until he grew up to speak, he wanted to do it _now_. Huffing with irritation, Ginouji looked up at mother who was sitting and talking with Rain.

One day he would be a big flier and he would be able to talk and protect mother no matter what. He was never going to leave her. Not ever.


	24. Hope

Alistair sighed heavily and settled back into her chair. A nice massage, a good facial mask, a manicure and now a foot massage _and_ pedicure? She was in her own little corner of paradise right now. A nice spa day was just what she had been needing so badly.

Amai was in a chair next to her getting her own feet and toes done. She hadn't been nearly as enthused about the spa as Alistair had been but had warmed up to the idea awfully quickly after seeing the cute guy who would be taking care of her for the day. One look at his dark brown skin and beautiful hazel eyes and Amai had practically melted into the floor. Alistair had simply rolled her eyes in response and followed the lady who would be attending to her.

After this they would be off to buy some fancy bath supplies and new clothes. Just because Alistair smelled like a half dead monster when she was out on a hunt didn't mean that she had to remain that way when she was back in town.

Being a hunter, she tried to keep her personal effects to a minimum since she was away so often. However, now Alistair knew for sure that she would be staying here with Rain on a long term basis. That meant she needed, and was more then willing to spend time and coin on, more stuff.

And by stuff she primarily meant shoes.

 _But loading up on some nice shoes can wait until later. I love being a hunter and protecting people but still it's nice to just sit back, relax and do stuff like this once in a while. Who says I can't swing an ax and have pretty nails at the same time?_ Alistair thought with a hum as she grabbed a fruit slice from the bowl next to her and popped it into her mouth.

The babies were staying with Rain today while she worked, in fact she had insisted on it despite Alistair's worry that they might get in her way. Still it felt strange not having them with her. She wanted to start spending more quality time with them. For now though Alistair was going to settle back and enjoy her pedicure.

* * *

"How many pairs of shoes are you getting?" Amai asked incredulously as she peered over Alistair's shoulder. They were currently at the finest shoe shop in Tanzia Port. In addition to having a nice selection they also had a few shoemakers who would make custom shoes in practically any size and style you wanted. Alistair had finished getting her feet measured and was writing up a list of the shoes she wanted to have made.

"Four pairs of sandals, three pairs of closed toe shoes, and two pairs of good casual boots. Sure I have plenty of boots for hunting but I'm not about to wear those around town. When it comes to casual shoes I've been alternating between the same two pairs for the past three years. Besides I'm using Rain's money and she said I could just have the bills sent to her if I'd like to do that as well," Alistair explained as she put all of her information at the bottom as well as the address at which she could be contacted.

"Thank you very much ma'am. This should take us about two weeks to fill with the materials you've chosen. We'll have them all dropped off at your designated address but you can stop by earlier if you like to check on the progress of your order," the man explained as he handed over a copy of her order. Alistair thanked him and slipped it into her pocket before leaving the building and stepping back out into the street.

It wasn't very busy at this time of day which was nice as it greatly helped with her attitude. For the moment at least her anxiety wasn't bothering her and she hoped it would stay that way at least long enough for her to enjoy today.

"Now what? Do you want to swing by and see Rain? It's well past noon and I know she said she was leaving early today. We could pick her and the babies up and find a nice place to eat. One that doesn't mind baby monsters that is. Then on the way back we can go to that bakery and confectionery I saw you staring at earlier today," Amai offered with a grin that only widened when she noticed Alistair's eyes straying back down the road towards the candy shop.

Alistair's sweet tooth was legendary apparently and Rain had been all too happy to share plenty of stories about the mighty hunter's love of sweets.

"Oh don't think I don't see you grinning like a nargacuga over there. Wipe that smirk off your face and let's go see how my babies are doing," Alistair countered throwing a playful swipe at Amai who ducked with a smirk.

"Hey, be nice to me or I won't show you how to make ice cream. Since Rain has cold box to keep it in I've been thinking about it ever since we got here," Amai explained and Alistair paused at that.

"Ice... cream? What is that?" she asked in confusion. Now Amai turned to stare at her in shock.

"You've never... really? Come on you have to have had it at least once! I mean it's not something you see down in the tropics unless you're rich like Rain is but still I figured she had treated you at least once. They have a fancy shop here and everything. I know they have a bunch of different desserts but if they have other food too then we can just eat there for lunch," Amai explained and waved a hand in front of them and to the right. Up ahead was the wealthier section of the port where Rain's shop was located. When Alistair still had a blank look on her face she sighed and grabbed her arm.

"Okay you know what? Never mind. You'll find out when you see it because I cannot wait to see your face when you try ice cream for the first time!" Amai said excitedly dragging Alistair down the street.

* * *

"Now find something that is... brown and small," Rain said the words carefully, holding up a scrap of paper that she had scribbled over with a brown crayon. "Brown," she said again showing Akairo and Ginouji the color before holding up her hands in the gesture she had been using so far to signal size. Both rathalos lifted their wings and dashed off down the aisles of the store in excitement, Raiden in hot pursuit after Ginouji as the two brothers split up in their quest.

Rain had taken over babysitting duties today, bringing all three of the babies along and putting them in a special penned in area so they would be out of the way while she took care of the shop and checked in on her employees.

Business was booming and she had barely gotten a moment to breathe among all the customers looking for rare items, fancy minerals and gems or just something eye catching to take home. A lot of the stuff she and Storm had pulled up from the ocean floor were pretty pricey, but there were plenty of cheaper items as well so there was a wide variety of people that came in to look around.

Some food, a few toys and soft cushions and the babies had all they needed to keep themselves occupied. When they weren't play fighting with each other or wrestling over the toys they were sleeping. Thankfully they were at the age where they would still be sleeping frequently. That would last for a couple months so Rain was going to enjoy it while she could.

Now the shop was officially closed and Rain's two employees were finishing their last task of counting the money and updating the business accounts before leaving for the day.

Since the shop was primarily empty except for them, Rain had decided to test out their intelligence and get in some training. Ginouji and Akairo picked up on what she wanted within three attempts. Now they could do it pretty well. Raiden lagged behind as she figured he would. Zinogre were very intelligent but whether not quite as much as rathalos were. Still once he saw one of the rathalos grab something he knew what to do. Besides he was still a puppy although a few weeks older than Ginouji and Akairo.

It wasn't long before two of the babies came racing back. Ginouji was carefully holding a small wooden carving in his mouth while Raiden had a compass wrapped in dark brown leather.

"You two did so good!" Rain praised with a smile as Ginouji rumbled in pleasure and Raiden thumped his tail on the ground. Grabbing the bag beside her she ripped apart a few pieces of jerky and gave them both a piece as a reward. Nothing like some positive reinforcement.

A moment later Akairo came back from around one of the aisles of shelves rolling something along the floor. When he got closer she could see that it was large round piece of tiger's eye that she had pulled up from a shipwreck years ago. The mineral had been polished by Storm so that it the brown and gold colors glowed brilliantly.

Akairo couldn't pick it up in his mouth so instead he used his head and wings to roll it across the floor to Rain where it bumped into her foot. Looking up he lifted his wings and tilted his head expectantly.

"That is the prettiest of all little man. Very good job!" Rain said reaching over to scratch under his chin. Akairo closed his eyes and rumbled happily. Both he and his brother had started letting her pet them and Ginouji had even snuck into her room a couple more nights to sleep next to her. Grabbing another piece of jerky she ripped it in half and gave him some.

"Looks like your little ones are coming along well! They listen better then my pet birds do."

Rain looked up to see her employee Sasha leaning over the counter behind her.

"Yeah well I'm just babysitting these guys. They may be cute but my heart will always be with my lagiacrus," Rain responded standing up from her crouch. "You done for the day?" she asked and Sasha nodded.

"Oh I've been done for a while. Misha already left. I just wanted to be nosey and watch you all playing around. Monsters may be terrifying when they grow up but they sure are cute as babies aren't they?" she commented looking down at Akairo who had wandered over a bit closer to get a better look at her.

"I just hope this training pays off. If Tanzia Port is going to have two rathalos and a zinogre hanging around then it's never too late to start teaching them," Rain trailed off as she heard a door opening and closing.

"Hey, Rain! We're back!"

A moment later Amai's head popped around the corner of a hallway. Raiden had already perked up at the sound of her voice and now went racing across the floor to greet her. Ginouji and Akairo were not far behind clearly looking around for Alistair as she too came around the corner. Crouching down she wrapped her arms around both rathalos as they hummed and nuzzled her affectionately.

"Well it's good to know I was missed. Have you two been good for Rain while I was busy?" Alistair asked and both of them launched into a chatter of growls and squeaks. It would be quite a while yet before they developed the deeper voices of mature adults. Still they had started responding more when Alistair or Rain spoke to them. Laughing, she bent down and placed a kiss on top of their heads.

"I'll take that as a yes then," Alistair stood up and went over to greet Sasha with a handshake. Amai did the same in between Raiden bouncing around at her heels.

"Nice to see you again! You look good. I hope my boss hasn't been too much of a pain in the butt for you," Sasha teased, earning a scowl from Rain.

"Weren't you just leaving?" she countered and the woman grinned and pushed off the counter.

"See you later boss!" Sasha called out before heading past Amai and Alistair to the side door of the shop. Alistair watched her go and then turned back and raised her eyebrows at the small pile of objects and the bag of jerky a short distance away from Rain's feet.

"What exactly were you doing while we were out shopping and at the spa?" she asked, while Amai wandered over to look at the crayons and slips of paper sitting on the counter.

"Those? Just teaching the little ones how to fetch and find certain objects. Here let me show you," Rain grabbed a dark purple crayon and colored a scrap of paper with it. Turning around she crouched down again. Right away Ginouji and Akairo noticed and came back to her. Raiden was now in Amai's arms and apparently done training for the day.

"Find something purple for Alistair," Rain said showing them the color. "Find something purple for your mom," she said again more slowly this time pointing up at Alistair who had come to stand beside her. Both rathalos bobbed their heads in understanding and raced off together this time down the aisle instead of splitting up. They looked like they had something in mind.

"They know what color that is?" Alistair asked, watching in surprise as they darted around the right and out of sight.

"It took them a couple tries but they picked up on it a lot faster then I thought they would have. I've also confirmed that they can see all the same colors that we can and maybe a few that we can't. They also can tell the difference between small, medium, and large. I thought more specific shapes could wait a while. Raiden even picked up on it too," Rain answered before Amai could ask. The young hunter kissed Raiden on top of the head between the little nubs of his horns.

"Zinogre are very intelligent. Not as smart or quick to learn as your rathalos maybe but still he'll more then make up for it as he gets older. Won't you little guy? Yes! One day I'm going to be riding on your back fighting monsters all across the continent," Amai cooed and Raiden thumped his tail happily as she pet him and scratched behind his ears. "Wait.. looks like they found something," she added nodding towards Ginouji and Akairo who had come back from their searching. They were alternately push and pulling something down the aisle but were having a bit of difficulty with it.

"Hold on you two let me help," Rain said, standing up from her crouch she walked over and bent down to pick up what they had selected. Once she did so both of them went right back to their mother barely able to contain their excitement.

"Wow, Alistair your little ones have some good taste. Maybe you should look into treasure hunting instead," Rain said holding the object in both hands.

It was a rough round bowl shape and heavy enough that she had to shift her grip on it to make sure it didn't fall.

"Well they picked it out so here you go. That's going to look nice on your nightstand," Rain added as Amai leaned over and whistled at the sight of it.

"That's an amethyst geode! One that size is worth quite a bit. Your rathalos really do have nice taste," Amai noted impressed as she took in the deep purple crystals lining the open inside. Outside it was just another plain looking rock. Alistair took it and turned it around in her hands.

"I've heard of these and seen a few geodes before here at the shop but I've never seen one with crystals like this before," Alistair said appreciatively. Crouching down in front of the two eager rathalos she kissed both of them on the head. "You two did very well," she told them and both Ginouji and Akairo nuzzled her happily. Standing back up she stuck the geode in her satchel.

"Now what was this I heard about ice cream?"

* * *

"Geez, Alistair people are staring!" Amai complained as Alistair groaned with pleasure and took another huge bite of her ice cream and fruit cobbler combo. "Seriously Rain how have you not given her ice cream before? Especially with her sweet tooth. Even I know that's practically a crime," she said shooting an accusing stare over at Rain who held her hands up in defense.

"Hey, we didn't even have this place up until like six months ago! I didn't bring her here because I just never had a chance to do so. Big cities like this have been using electricity for a while now but it's still technically a budding technology so only the wealthier parts of big cities like this have cooling boxes and the means to make and store cold food. I've been thinking of helping out with that though. You know making donations or something to help get electrical lines up and running through more of the port," Rain said waving her hand around at the basic lighting around them.

"I mean I have more money then I'll ever be able to spend. Might as well do something helpful with it instead of just building additions onto our house," Rain said, settling back to watch Alistair eat.

After finishing off some fried fish for lunch Alistair had immediately ordered dessert. After tasting the first bite Alistair had effectively stopped talking to or acknowledging anyone else and was busy savoring every last drop. Occasionally Alistair would drop some down to the rathalos babies. Ginouji preferred the ice cream while his brother preferred the warm fruit cobbler. Aside from that, Alistair had ceased to acknowledge their existence unless it was to ask for more chocolate syrup to pour over her dessert.

After asking about what ingredients went into making the ice cream, Amai had gotten two scoops of vanilla for Raiden who was so happy with his new treat he was glowing. Literally glowing with electricity. A few other customers kept throwing worried looks over at the zinogre puppy currently throwing off sparks.

"Have I mentioned before how much I love you? You are the best, best friend ever," Alistair said, suddenly breaking her vow of silence as she scraped her dish for every last possible scrap of cobbler and ice cream. Rain smiled and pushed her chair back from the table.

"Stay here, I'll get you something else that I know you'll enjoy," Rain said. Standing up from the table she walked back over to the counter a short distance away. Rich smells drifted all around them as the cook stoked the kitchen fire and put some meat on the grill. Within a few short minutes she walked back with something else. Amai frowned and leaned forward to get a closer look at the tangled swirl of fried batter and powdered sugar.

"What is that?"

"It's called a funnel cake. Sweet batter, poured through a funnel and topped with a ton of powdered sugar. Plus some sauce if you want it. I figured you could add more chocolate sauce yourself if you wanted," Rain explained with a wide grin as Alistair all but snatched it out of her hands. Rain sat down and smugly leaned back against the chair with her hands behind her head as Alistair poured more chocolate sauce over the funnel cake and started tearing pieces off of it to eat.

"I would like to try some but I'm afraid I'd lose a finger," Amai joked, making Alistair hesitate and blush deeply in embarrassment. Pulling her hands back, Alistair pushed the plate over towards the girl.

"Sorry. Feel free to have some. I shouldn't be eating this as it is considering how full I'm getting but it's so good," Alistair offered tearing the piece she already had in half. Leaning over she gave Ginouji the piece that just had a small bit of sugar on it while Akairo got the piece practically drowning in sugar and chocolate. Akairo definitely took after his mom when it came to sweets but both of them eagerly scarfed down their pieces.

"Everyone knows you aren't supposed to feed pets, or in this case monsters, from the table but everyone does it anyway," Alistair commented as both rathalos babies licked their lips and looked up at her, hoping for more scraps.

"Believe me my parents did the same thing with the halk we took care off. Ice type halk that is. I snuck treats into the roost every chance I got until they gained weight to the point where their harnesses had to be adjusted and I was found out," Amai confessed as she picked up the now empty bowl Raiden had started mouthing at.

His teeth should be coming in soon which meant they would have a fussy, teething monster on their hands before long. Rathalos seemed to have their teeth from birth thankfully although that still didn't keep them from chewing on things if Alistair didn't make sure they had a toy nearby to keep them occupied.

"Would you have grown up to train halk as well had you stayed?" Rain asked curiously.

"Maybe. That's what my dad was aiming for. Once you're an adult you take a look at every trade currently known to your tribe to see which one you like or are best at. Most stay with their family trade but I wanted to train with the hunters. They mainly track down food for the tribe but they also keep everyone safe from nearby monsters," Amai explained.

"I wanted to be one of the tribe hunters. The best of them have monster companions, stygian zinogre, jade barroth, barioth, sometimes lagombi or just a halk. I've heard that some tribes even manage to raise tidal najarala, tigrex, or ice agnaktor but everyone pretty much agrees that those claims are hugely exaggerated in order to keep foreigners out of their territory. I wanted a stygian zinogre companion myself but you have to prove yourself before even being considered to be a tribal hunter, much less one with a monster companion," Amai explained reaching down and picking up Raiden. He snuggled up against her and closed his eyes contentedly.

"Then I discovered professional Guild hunters and..." she stopped and blushed. "I feel weird saying that I found my calling but that's what it felt like honestly. Like I discovered what I was meant to do. In addition to being an exciting way of life I thought it was a great way to help people. I know I still have a lot to learn but I love doing it. I just wish my people weren't so suspicious of them, but not that I'm outside looking in I can understand why they do," she added with a heavy sigh.

"I would tell you to send them a letter but I haven't exactly been good at that myself since I arrived here. I need to sit down and do that tonight otherwise I'll keep putting it off forever," Alistair said. Pulling the plate back towards her she finished off the funnel cake.

Grabbing a napkin Alistair wiped all the sugar and chocolate off her fingers. Grabbing another one she wet it with some water and leaned down to clean up Akairo and Ginouji's sticky faces as well.

"Okay I have to say that was incredible. Then again the way to my heart is through my sweet tooth so it didn't take much," Alistair added with a sigh of great satisfaction. "Now I think I'm ready to go back, put these guys down for a nap, and crawl into bed for a couple hours myself."

Rain was about to say something but glanced over Alistair's shoulder towards the bay of windows near the door and hesitated.

"Here's some zenni. Why don't you pay the bill Amai? I just saw someone I need to talk to," Rain said suddenly. Alistair raised an eyebrow but didn't argue. Walking casually out of the building Rain let the door close before grabbing the woman she had spotted and hauling her around the corner past the windows.

"Start talking, Sky because I know you didn't end up here by accident," Rain scowled fiercely at the woman who had the grace to look embarrassed. Shaking off Rain's arm she stood up taller.

"Aureus said that a book Alistair ordered came in. I saw her and that girl... Amai, walking through town and I decided to... well..." Sky trailed off and cleared her throat. "I just wanted to check that Alistair was okay. I haven't had a real conversation with her in years. Not without it turning into a fight... I just want my twin sister back," she said with such honest desperation in her voice that Rain couldn't help but feel for her. But just a little.

"Look... whatever differences we have... you know how much I care about Alistair right?" Rain offered after moment. The last thing she wanted was an argument right now. Not when today was supposed to be all about Alistair being able to relax. Reluctantly Sky nodded in confirmation.

"Then please believe me when I say that I'm not doing this out of spite. Alistair is... she's in a very difficult place right now and she needs help... help that she is _finally_ getting. You know how much of a struggle it was before when she was institutionalized and what she had to go through afterwards. Going to the doctor and talking in any way about her mental illness is extremely difficult for her but now she is not only doing that but she's developing a relationship with her doctor and coming to trust him and his advice. She's working so hard to get better. Seeing you could be a serious set back for her. No matter how much Alistair wants to reconnect, and I assure you she does want that as much as you do, she just isn't in a place where she can do that right now. Not the way you would like," Rain said, quickly holding up her hands she tried to forestall any objections from Sky.

"We already talked to Alistair's doctor about this yesterday and he agreed that it is best to take things slowly. What Alistair needs is to know that she's going to be meeting and spending time with you at a certain time on a certain day. Just having you pop up randomly is going to keep triggering her if you keep this up and then she'll _never_ get better," Rain continued in a softer and gentler tone of voice.

"Fine... fine already I understand that. It's just... she's my twin sister. We could practically read each others minds before and now she's a stranger to me," Sky said clutching the book in her hands tightly to her chest. She was really upset over this.

Running a hand through her hair, Rain tried to come up with something.

"You're staying in the guest center next to the research station right? I'll ask Alistair tomorrow when a good time to meet up with you would be. Then I'll let you know. It'll give that bird something else useful to do," Rain grumbled the last part, thinking about Jasper. When Sky's brow furrowed in confusion Rain waved her hand dismissively.

"It's nothing. I'll let you know and set up a time to meet within the next week. No longer. That's what I can do. You both love monsters. Use that as a common ground. Alistair loves those little rathalos like..." Rain stopped abruptly and rubbed her neck uncomfortably. Still Sky's face said that knew what Rain meant to say.

"Look I'll... I'll be waiting. I promise the attitude will get left behind and I'll do everything in my power to avoid stressing her out. We'll keep things focused on helping those hatchlings now and the type of training they'll need as they get older. That should be a safe topic for everyone. I've heard of someone from the south who has spent decades researching and even training rathalos and rathian. I've already sent word to them explaining the situation and asking if they could possibly come up here. Even if it's only for a week or so any insight they can offer would be invaluable," she said helpfully.

"That would definitely help. Why don't you wait and give that book to Alistair yourself. I know she's worried about raising Ginouji and Akairo as best she can. She really loves them," Rain said with a slight edge of warning to her voice.

"I'm not going to do anything that might possibly get them hurt or taken away from her. God knows the last thing she needs to for that to happen to her again," Sky said her shoulders sagging a bit. "I guess... I should be going. Just... just don't take too long to let me know all right? Please?" she asked in a pleading tone of voice.

"I'll let you know as soon as I can," Rain agreed taking a step back. Sky got the point and reluctantly turned to leave. After she had turned a corner, Rain went back inside and found Alistair and Amai standing up.

"We were getting ready to come looking for you. Everything okay?" Alistair asked curiously.

"It is now. Come on, let's go home."

* * *

All of the little monsters were fast asleep taking a nap, Alistair was in bed taking a nap as well, Jasper was off somewhere else and Shurika had gone out hunting leaving Seiva to guard the property. Ever since Storm's death they were really taking things seriously. Rain was half convinced they had put up some type of electrical field around the house to alert them when someone came too close. She had asked Shurika about it but the large female merely hummed noncommittally in reply and pointedly kept her eyes closed. So that was probably a _yes_ to that question.

Now Amai was lounging on the back patio with another one of Storm's high seas adventure books in hand, while Rain leaned back in her own chair with a nice glass of wine.

"I want to wait a few more weeks until Raiden is weaned. After that I'm going to start more intensive training and then try bringing him on easy quests with me. I want him to be my hunting partner so I need to start early. It helps that he's still so young, but I still need to see more of what his temperament is like," Amai said with a glance over the top of the book at Rain who hummed and took another sip of her wine.

"You know what you're doing. You've got actual training when it comes to raising monsters. Trust what you know and what you've learned. Just don't take any chances. The last thing I need is to have to track down your parents and tell them you got whacked by some monster while out on a hunt," Rain said glancing over her way with a lazy smile.

Amai rolled her eyes and put her book aside so she could go back to making improvements to Raiden's harness like she was supposed to be doing. Hopefully the oil she was coating the leather with now would keep him from chewing on it when he started teething.

"Please don't remind me. They would drag me back from the grave just so they could say 'I told you so,'" Amai grumble, rubbing the oil on the leather a bit harder then was necessary. Rain mumbled something but didn't respond directly to that. After a moment of peaceful silence, Rain lifted her head and narrowed her eyes at the teenager.

"Would you just ask me already? All that fidgeting is making the chair squeak," Rain said, scowling at Amai who stopped wiggling around and instead starting playing with the straps making up Raiden's harness.

"Have you every thought about..." Amai stopped and made a face. "Well I mean I know what you said earlier but I was wondering if..." she stopped, trying to find a more tactful way to ask what was on her mind. "I was just wondering what your thoughts were on settling down. I mean you're pretty rich and attractive. That's got to attract people even with the difficulties you face.," she added.

Rain hummed settled back in her chair. Amai was afraid she had offended her until Rain spoke up again.

"That's a fair point and you're right but mostly I just haven't been at a place in my life where I felt comfortable considering it. I wanted to focus on improving myself first before anything else and I'm glad I have. Relationship's certainly add to your happiness but they can't in and of themselves miraculously make your life better. It's a whole lot of work which is something they don't tell you in those romance novels and theater plays. Not only did I want to get myself in the right place but I wanted to make sure I could take care of myself before I considered trying to support and provide for another person. Financially and emotionally. Not to mention finding someone who doesn't like me just because I'm well off now," Rain explained. Taking another sip of her wine she looked over and pointed a finger at Amai.

"Just remember that when those young hormones of yours start clouding your judgment. Just because I'm not interested in sex myself doesn't mean I don't know how biology works," Rain added, wiggling her eyebrows and grinning as Amai turned red and fumbled around for a response. Finally she growled and turned away.

"You're just as bad as my aunt back home. I have already had _the talk_ thank you very much and I certainly am not going to do anything stupid Besides you're only only eight or nine years older then me." Amai grumbled to herself earning a laugh from Rain.

"Anything else you want to know? Might as well ask now while I'm relaxed and have a nice glass of wine in hand," Rain added, waving her hand and taking another sip. Amai chewed on her bottom lip and hesitated before taking a deep breath.

"Have you and Alistair... I mean... have you ever considered... well not when she was married obviously but... umm," Amai stopped when Rain grimaced and held her hand up.

"Please stop before you hurt yourself." Rain begged her. Leaning back against the chair, she rubbed her head and thought about that. "Have I thought about having a relationship with Alistair? I'd be lying if I said it never crossed my mind because it has. But have I ever _seriously_ considered it? Not really. I was too busy just trying to get myself set up emotionally and become independent financially so I wouldn't have to worry about any fallout from my parents. Thankfully I had Storm's support. Not everyone has a person they can't count on to help them on their feet like that," Rain stopped and swallowed hard.

"By the time I started to really start accepting myself Alistair was already dating someone. So whatever feelings I may have had or thought I had got pushed aside. I wanted her to be happy more then anything and she was. Not gonna lie that man was really good to her. Certainly the best guy I've ever met. He took such good care of Alistair and he would have been an amazing father," Rain said honestly.

"And now?" Amai asked and immediately noted the way Rain hesitated. She had seen the looks between them and the way Alistair had looking at Rain.

"Now I..." Rain stopped and took a much bigger sip of her wine. "I don't know. I'm not oblivious. I've noticed the way Alistair has starting looking at me I just... I'm not sure honestly," she confessed.

"Okay to be honest talking about this does really weird me out but I'm trying. I want to learn so... please don't hate me for this? But... I just think... I just mean to say that Alistair is in a really difficult place in her life right now and you're the only one who has really been able to help her. Everyone can see how Alistair places you above pretty much everyone else in her life because of the impact you've had in it, in her health care and in dealing with her mental illness," Amai stopped for a minute and her brow furrowed as she thought of how to phrase her words.

"Now Alistair is back here again and making real progress. But realistically speaking she _needs_ to be here in order to get better and to raise Ginouji and Akairo. With everything you've done for her and with both of you being as good friends as you are already and as much as she depends on you for emotional support and reassurance..." Amai paused and fidgeted uncomfortably again as Raiden bounded over from playing in the water and nuzzled his wet body up to hers.

"I'm just saying that it doesn't surprise me that Alistair has possibly started developing feelings for you. It would be kind of hard not to feel something deeper for someone who has done as much for her as you have. So if she did say that she wanted... more how would you handle that?" Amai finally asked.

For a second Rain said nothing. Then a few seconds turned into a few more until the silence stretched on for so long that Amai just wanted to blurt out that she was sorry and take it all back. She was in way over her head here and brain dumping everything out of her mouth certainly wouldn't help.

Amai looked up, ready and willing to apologize and just forget the whole thing only to find Rain staring down at her wine glass. She had such an intense look of concentration on her face that anything Amai was about to say immediately died in her throat. Had she hit on something after all?

"I..." Rain started but then stopped and closed her mouth, still staring at her glass with that same look. Again the silence stretched on making the already uncomfortable atmosphere practically unbearable.

Amai was about to jump up, make an excuse and dash off to the house when Seiva raised his head from where he was sunbathing nearby and snorted loudly, wiggling his lower jaw and stretching it as if it was bothering him. Rain quickly set her glass aside and stood up, hurrying over to him as if she were grateful for the distraction.

"What? Do you have something in your teeth? Here let me check," Rain said as Seiva lowered his head and let her root around and search inside his mouth.

Amai couldn't help but grimace at the sight. It took a whole lot of trust and faith to go rooting around with your head inside in a lagiacrus open jaws that's for sure. Seiva's eyes shifted to meet Amai's and he gave her a long focused stare.

With a shiver she remembered that lagiacrus were intelligent enough to understand human speech. How much of that conversation had he understood? _Really_ understood and comprehended? Had he interrupted them on purpose?

"Um... I'm just gonna... Raiden probably needs to eat," Amai said awkwardly. Raiden of course had quickly picked up on what the word "eat" meant and jumped to his feet, tail thumping on the ground hopefully.

Rain was rubbing under Seiva's chin now making the lagiacrus purr and close his eyes in contentment. Her face had fallen back into the thoughtful, concentrated look she had earlier. Amai couldn't tell if she was displeased or simply surprised or shocked or if she had simply never considered the idea before. Probably a mixture of the last three, Amai guessed.

"I think I've opened my big mouth enough for one day," Amai said to Raiden who yipped and bounced at her feet.

* * *

"There you go," Amai said, putting down the scissors and grabbing a hand mirror. "What do you think?" she asked, as she handed the mirror over to Alistair who was now sporting a shorter cut that just brushed her ears and had a slight curl to it.

"It certainly feels strange having all of that hair gone, but I like it. Thanks, Amai. I really appreciate it," Alistair said thankfully as she played with her now much shorter hair. "I'm used to wearing a ponytail or a braid all the time. This is going to take some getting used to, but I'm glad I finally went through with it," she added, putting the mirror down.

"I'm going to take Raiden out for a quick swim," Amai said. She let out a whistle to Raiden who immediately lifted his head from his tug of war session with Akairo's rope toy. "You guys wanna go for a swim too?" she asked as Raiden let out a happy yip and hurried towards the back door excitedly. Ginoujj and Akairo sniffed and went back to playing. "Well fine then. Don't get mad when I stop inviting you then," Amai grouched, before heading off after a bouncing Raiden.

"I'm getting ready to put the fish in to fry. I'll leave yours here on the counter, Amai," Rain said from the kitchen as the young hunter walked past. Amai called out a thank you before the sound of the back door sliding open and then closing again came.

Alistair wandered over into the kitchen and glanced out of the window wedged set in between two cabinets.

Raiden and Ginouji both treated Shurika like she was the greatest monster in the history of the world and that just being in her presence was an honor. Ginouji practically had stars in his eyes every time she so much as acknowledged his existence. Akairo generally kept a slightly scared and respectful distance.

When Alistair turned back she saw Rain staring at her with a strangely intense look on her face.

"What?" Alistair asked curiously. To her surprise Rain immediately blushed visibly and looked away.

"Sorry. Just... spaced out I guess. I was thinking about something Amai brought up," Rain reluctantly admitted and went back to poking at the food.

"Wow, that didn't sound good," Alistair said making a face at her friend's tone of voice. Rain winced remained silent as she fiddled unnecessarily with the fish currently frying in the pain.

"No its nothing bad its just... something I need to seriously consider and figure out is all," she admitted, the strain in her voice was obvious to hear. Alistair wasn't quite sure what to say so she put a hand on her arm and waited until Rain finally looked at her again.

"While it's true that I'm not exactly in the best place right now I still want to help. I feel bad knowing all you're doing for me and not being able to return the favor. Please talk to me when you're ready... okay?" Alistair offered. Rain's expression softened.

"Thanks. I'm just feeling overwhelmed at the moment. To be honest I really could use some help going through Storm's things. Some stuff Ramona is taking, others I'm keeping, a lot is being given away or donated. His books though I want to give to Amai. I've already seen her reading them both now and from before he... before he died. Some of his more sentimental items that he found while we were out treasure hunting I'm keeping but everything else I want to get rid of. I can't even believe I'm thinking about this. I keep waking up expecting to see him in the kitchen or coming out of his room," Rain's voice caught. Swallowing hard she let out a shaky breath.

Alistair immediately reached out and pulled her into a hug. Rain's arms tightened around her as a choked sob escaped her throat.

"I miss him so much," Rain whispered back.

"We'll get through this together. One day at at time, all right?" Alistair offered, pulling back to get a good look at her. Rain nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"We can try at least. Here. I tried my best not to burn it. I gave you extra so you can feed Ginouji and Akairo some instead of just tossing them pieces from the table all the time," Rain offered, handing her a plate piled with fried fish.

"Thank you... and thanks for... for not pushing me for details," Rain added, her cheeks coloring a bit as she stared firmly down at the plate she was holding with a look of embarrassment on her face.

Now Alistair's curiosity was _really_ killing her, but she firmly stomped it down and accepted the food.

"Thanks Rain. You know I'm always here for you," Alistair assured her. Turning around she went to the living room this time choosing to sit down on the floor with Ginouji and Akairo rather then sit at the table. Both babies hummed and squeaked happily at this new arrangement as their mother settled in with them at her sides.

* * *

A new day and a new morning with her little ones. Rain told her about meeting Sky in town yesterday and they had agreed on going by the research center in two days to see her for a couple hours or so to talk. With that settled Alistair ate an egg omlette Amai had made her for breakfast and then gathered up both rathalos babies and their harnesses to go out and make sure they got something to eat. Now they were at the beach again exploring the tide pools.

Alistair leaned forward, watching with a mother's eye as Akairo dove into one of the tide pools and game up with some type of shelled creature. He awkwardly swam back to the edge and climbed up onto the rocks where he proceeded to hit it against a sharp protrusion that Alistair had nearly sliced her foot open on before. Akairo smashed the shell against the rock, being careful not to cut himself as he did so, until it cracked and pieces started to fall off. Once that was done he put it down and started peeling chunks of the shell off with his teeth and foot talons.

While Akairo preferred shellfish and other crustaceans since they were easier to catch, Ginouji was busy trying to capture little fish that darted through the water and through tunnels in the rocks. He was slowly getting better at catching them and was now a few feet away eating a larger one who hadn't been able to get back out to see before the tide went out. It was sluggish and hadn't been able to escape anywhere but still it would help Ginouji's confidence at least.

Shurika was stretched out on the rocks on the other side of the large rocky tidal bowl. Although she appeared mostly relaxed she still sent out pulses of electricity from time to time and kept her eyes fixed on the ocean or on the tree line behind them. They were only a mile from the city but that was far enough that a monster wandering around might accidentally find themselves over here instead of farther away in the other direction.

Alistair had put on some light armor and brought her switch axe just in case but she felt a lot safer with Shurika here and it was clear the black lagiacrus was taking her babysitting duty seriously.

Both babies had grown more and excited when they realized they would be catching their own food today. Sure they inhaled whatever Alistair gave them or whatever fresh meat or fish they had picked up that day or stored in Rain's cooling box, but it was clear they preferred to actually catch it themselves if they could.

Aside from being able to taste different things it was a lot more enriching for them mentally to be out exploring. Alistair wanted to make it a point to do this at least a couple times a week and work up to doing it every day as they got older and bigger.

A snort from Shurika alerted Alistair to someone's presence and she looked over to her right to see none other then Ramona, Rain's stepmother, carefully picking her way across the rock towards her. Alistair clenched her fists and stood up. At least one of them could try and be polite.

"Ramona. I'm... surprised to see you here," Alistair said in surprise. 

"I promise I'm not here to cause trouble. Not intentionally anyway," Ramona told her. "I actually wanted to tell Rain that they caught Narane's younger sister Mira in a small village miles from here trying to run away. They had arrested her already but escaped and tried to go somewhere she could hide. Now she'll be charged not only with helping her sister but with resisting the law as well," Ramona said, rubbing her hands together nervously as she brought up Storm.

"Rain isn't my daughter by blood but I do care about her. Whatever she decides to do with her life... just promise me you'll help and support her. Obviously what I've tried to do hasn't helped make things any better," Ramona said honestly.

"Of course. Rain doesn't hate you she just... wishes you could listen better," Alistair told her.

"I think both of us feel that way," Ramona admitted. "Well my reason for coming here was to tell Rain about my plans to move. Is she currently at the house?" she asked.

"No, she wanted to get back to work. She'll be there for a few more hours before leaving early," Alistair answered. Ramona nodded as a thank you and went on her way.

Alistair watched her leave with a deep frown on her lips. She didn't know if she had really improved anything. She didn't particularly like Ramona but if Rain wanted to try and reconcile with her stepmom then she wouldn't get in the way.

Two familiar hums by her legs drew her attention and Alistair looked down to see Ginouji and Akairo back on her left side. She had come to recognize that distinct hum as meaning "I don't like you." Shurika had stalked her way over as well and was still letting off arcs of electricity.

"Believe me I agree but no biting. That will just be more trouble then it's worth," Alistair said in warning although she knew Shurika was the only one who would understand. Ginouji and Akairo tilted their heads back and forth in confusion over her tone while the huge lagiacrus snorted and reluctantly stopped discharging electricity.

"Let's get going a little farther down the beach. I don't want to let this ruin our time together," she said in a lighter tone of voice. Both babies picked up on the change and wiggled their wings excitedly, circling around her happily as they headed further down the tide pools to do some more hunting.

* * *

Alistair's first instinct upon being rudely shaken awake from her nap was to grab her pillow and hit whoever dared to interrupt her sleep. Thankfully she refrained because the person waking her up was Akairo. He was bouncing up and down on her back and nudging her insistently.

Snapping awake, she rolled over and sat up, worried about what had happened. After getting back from the tide pools which had taken a few hours she had immediately crashed in bed along with both of her babies.

"What is it little guy? What's wrong?" Alistair asked and he keened and clambered down off the edge of the bed. Once on the floor Akairo scampered to the door and raised his wings impatiently, clearly wanting her to follow. "I'm coming, I'm coming," she said dragging herself off the bed and rubbing her hair. It still felt strange having it so short now but it was a lot more appealing in this heat. Plus it didn't take nearly as much time to deal with after she woke up.

Akairo kept looking over his shoulder to make sure she was following along and Alistair's heart dropped when he stopped in front of Storm's room. After checking again to make sure she was coming he wiggled through the opening between the door and the frame and disappeared inside.

Taking a deep breath, Alistair steeled herself and pushed the door open. A few bookshelves lined the walls with a work desk and shelves wedged in between a few of them. Lined on shelves throughout the room were different items pulled up from the ocean during their treasure hunts. Old coins, statues, rare gems and more.

Rain was sitting on the bed holding a wood carving of a ship in her hands. She was clearly depressed and Ginouji was beside her with his head on her arm.

"Rain?" Alistair asked.

Rain looked up and gave her a weak smile.

"I'm okay. Well I'm not obviously but... its nothing terrible I'm just exhausted emotionally. Ramona came by earlier at the shop and we spoke. Really spoke and listened to one another. It wasn't great but it wasn't as bad as it could have been," Rain explained. Alistair walked over and sat down on the bed next to her.

"We talked about Storm, about me leaving home after dad's death, about Storm helping me get on my feet and become independent. She told me about how much she worries about my safety here and I told her how I don't want there to keep being so much tension between us. I told her what I need from her if things are ever going to get better and she told me that I need to try and be patient in return if things go more slowly then I would like," Rain said.

"We talked about my dad and what he did. She apologized for not realizing what was going on with Storm, for not realizing how he was verbally abusing me, and for not doing more when people started saying something was wrong. I can realize now just how well he hid that part of himself. How well he covered over the things he did and how he always made it seem like our fault. Like we were just bad kids or that we were just being difficult because we didn't like Ramona which had nothing to do with it. It's probably the first time we've ever managed to see eye to eye on something," Rain said with a weak smile.

"She... asked me about what happened the night he died. In detail. We've never spoken openly about it. He got drunk after a fight with Storm, a fight where Storm didn't back down from him like he usually did. They didn't throw any punches but Storm finally did manage to get under his skin so he went to the bar. Then he went to find me, someone he knew he could control or abuse. No one questioned that I was in danger, not after the bruises and injuries he left on me. Few people questioned that Shurika was trying to protect me either, especially after you backed me up on it. Although there was concern that she would be a threat to someone else," Rain added.

"I know you told me in the hospital to go to Shurika and send her away but I have to admit I was worried about whether she would listen. Not to mention the fact that she had been raised close to Tanzia Port all her life and had never really been out on the open ocean all alone," Alistair said as she remembered that night.

"But she did and now she's back. I told my mom that Shurika and Seiva are just trying to protect me and she appreciated that. I don't know that she'll ever be able to look at Shurika without remembering what she did but she's trying. It was a pretty rough talk emotionally but... she said she's going to try harder to listen and as I exhausting as it is I want to hope that's true. I'm not in touch with my extended family aside from a few cousins. I really just want things to be okay again. Like when Storm and I were kids and she first married my dad," Rain sighed and put the wood carving aside.

"She's going to be moving away after all of... this is sorted out. Somewhere in the north east. I can't blame her but she promised to give me her new address. Said that with her mother they only got closer once they moved farther away and couldn't see each other as much. She was partially joking but nothing else has worked out so far so maybe this will," Rain said hopefully.

"I'm glad you were able to talk at least. You're more patient then I am. I feel bad about how I've stayed away from my parents for so long because of what happened in the past but I haven't exactly done much to try and solve that either," Alistair admitted.

"Didn't you say at the restaurant the other day that you were going to write a letter to them?" Rain asked curiously.

"Ummm..." Alistair said noncommittally.

"Why don't I help? It'll take my mind of everything else weighing down on me and you can finally stop avoiding it," Rain suggested.

"Are you sure? I hate taking up so much of your time like this," Alistair said worriedly.

"Please I get to help you and procrastinate with my own problems. I see no downside here," Rain said with a teasing smile.

"I'm going to let that slide but only because I feel bad for you," Alistair said grabbing Rain's hand. "Fine if we're going to do this then lets get it over with," she added as she pulled Rain to her feet and led her back out of the room.

* * *

Alistair stared down at the letter and wrestled with the urge to toss it.

"You have to send one eventually," Rain told her.

"I know I just... are you sure this is okay? Its not too... distant is it?" Alistair worried as she looked over the letter for the fifth time. She had made and scrapped several versions so far and was determined that this would be the final one. She had filled three pages but now that it was done she was feeling self conscious again.

"Its been years since you've seriously spoken to your parents. There's no way to write this letter that isn't going to feel awkward or uncomfortable," Rain pointed out.

"I hate how logical that sounds," Alistair muttered as she scowled at the pages in front of her. Sighing, she signed her name and pushed them away. "There. Just put them in an envelope and seal them up before I change my mind," she complained. Rain took them and folded them up quickly, probably before Alistair could change her mind again.

"Are you sure this is the right thing? They're not going to be more upset with me are they?" Alistair pressed. For so long she had been avoiding contact with her parents. Now that she was trying to reach back out to her family it was making her more anxious then ever.

"They'll be happy you're reaching out again. You were honest in your letter about not being able to go back and see them yet because of your mental health. But you also made it clear that you want to try and make up for these past years. They just want you to be happy and safe. They'll understand," Rain reassured her.

Alistair didn't respond to that instead opting to watch as Rain grabbed an envelope and stuck the letters inside. She pressed a stamp to the corner for postage and then wrote down the destination in the center before scrawling the local postal station she used in the corner. Rain grabbed some sticky wax and smeared it across the back of the envelope to seal it.

"I'll make sure it gets sent out tomorrow. Messages and packages usually go out that way twice a week. So it will go out in two days and arrive a few more after that," Rain explained as she went to the kitchen to wash the wax off her hands. Alistair nodded to herself and nervously chewed on her fingernails.

When Rain came back she crouched down in front of Alistair and grabbed her hand, pulling it away from her mouth. Alistair's lips pulled up slightly as Rain held her hand and laced their fingers together.

"You're going to get through this and I'm going to be right there with you every anxiety filled step of the way," Rain told her. Alistair looked down at their hands and then back up.

"Even on the days when my depression is really bad I can't bring myself to do anything other then sit around and be miserable?" Alistair asked.

"I'll have your favorite sweets on hand, make sure the bed is extra comfy for you, and have some good books ready to read to you for when the bad days inevitably come back again," Rain promised. Now Alistair gave a genuine smile.

"I don't know what I did to deserve your help like this," Alistair told her.

"I could say the same thing about you. Now why don't we go outside, watch the sunset, and try leave all of our anxieties and worries for tomorrow?" Rain asked her.

"I..." Alistair began, "I think I can do that. Do you really think things are going to get better?" she said hopefully.

"Without a doubt. You've got me and I'm not going anywhere. Its not going to be easy but we'll get there," Rain assured her. Alistair let Rain pull her up and followed her outside into the fading sunlight.

Things weren't easy and they probably wouldn't be for a very long time but they had each other and they had monsters who loved them. They had hope that things would get better. Maybe not right away but someday. l

And for now that was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of the first portion of this series. The second part is entitled Princes of Fire Sky Kings 2) and will be up today! It will follow Ginouji and Akairo as they grow up as well as Amai and Raiden as they move on to other ventures as well. Not to mention Alistair's condition and her relationship with Rain. Thank you all for reading and I hope you'll go and check out the sequel as well!


End file.
